PhoulBallz Off-season Check In: OF Nick Williams

Nick Williams, image- Jay Floyd

Outfielder Nick Williams was one of the highly touted players that the Phillies acquired in the deal that sent Cole Hamels to Texas last summer.

Upon arriving in the Phillies organization, Williams was assigned to Double-A Reading, where he helped the club reach the postseason. In 22 regular season games as a member of the Fightins, the 22-year-old posted a .320/.340/.536 slash line. Overall in 119 Double-A games last season, the promising lefty batting prospect sported a .303 average with 17 home runs, 55 RBI and 13 stolen bases.

Williams, a Texas native, took time recently to offer some feedback on his off-season routine and his upcoming plans to visit Philadelphia for the first time and more. Read ahead for that full interview.

-Are you still enjoying some down time or have you gotten back to baseball activities yet?

I am swinging now. I like to get my work outs done in the morning. Or some days I'll go hit before and then work out after.

I'm not swinging every day, but I'm taking some cuts here and there. Just hitting off the tee and soft toss.

-Do you pair up with anybody to get your baseball work done and what facility do you use?

I usually just use my dad or some of my coaches. I'll go, like, if I use a facility I usually go to (the Texas Prospect Baseball Academy) the Houston Banditos, where I used to play, in Tomball.

-How much time do you actually go without picking up a bat and what else do you do during the off-season to stay fit aside from baseball activities?

I actually, I mean, I'm always playing basketball or playing 7-on-7. I'm always doing something athletic. I'm on the go. I'm always doing something athletic where I can compete in some way. But, with baseball activities, I usually go till about the middle of December or January because, for me, I just get in the groove really fast with hitting and things like that.

-I know after Reading's postseason was done, you went down to Clearwater for instructs for a bit. What was that experience like?

I got to meet a lot of people, a lot of the new players, the college players (from this year's draft) and it was a cool experience.

It was good to see everything and get used to the area, instead of coming to spring training and not know where anything is or know where I'm going.

-I know each January, the Phils will host a group of prospects and they'll go to Citizens Bank Park for a symposium and they'll check out a Sixers game while they're in town, things like that. Is that something that you're slated to attend?

Yeah. I'll be in Philly on or around the 10th.

-Is that something that you're looking forward to, in order to get a real taste of the city?

For sure. I still have yet to go to Philly and I don't know what it looks like or anything, so that'll be a great experience.

-From what you've heard about Philadelphia, is there anything that you know it's famous for?

I know all the historic stuff like the Declaration of Independence and the Liberty Bell and stuff. Things like that, but, I mean, I used to be a really big Eagles fan back when Vick and DeSean Jackson used to play for them.

I think it'll be cool to get there, a good experience. I'll feel like a tourist. I'm willing to try and see and do everything that I can, so that'll be fun.

-After being a bit of an Eagles fan, what do you know about Philadelphia sports fans?

They're die hard. They're extreme, man. Every time I tweet about something, Philly blows up, so...

-That sums it up pretty well. Thanks for taking time, Nick.

Alright. Thank you.

Stats to Ponder: Jimmy Rollins Edition

J-Roll has batted under .200 for a calendar month twice in his career. In April 2004, Rollins went 13-for-71, for a .183 average. The following month, Rollins went 30-for-107, which is a .280 average. And in August 2005, Rollins went 22-for-117, for a .188 average. The month that followed saw Rollins go 49-for-122 for a .402 average. Rollins is batting .171 so far in May 2009. Improvement is not far away for Jimmy. The Phillies are 10-2 in games this year which Rollins scores at least 1 run. The Phillies are 4-12 in games which Rollins does not score. Jimmy Rollins in 6 games against the Braves this year is batting .071 (2-for-28). In 2008 Rollins batted .284 against the Braves in 18 games. In 2007 Rollins batted .347 against the Braves in 18 games. In 2006 Rollins batted .367 against the Braves in 18 games. Jimmy Milestone Watch: 6 more RBI and Rollins will tie Scott Rolen for 25th all time in Phillies RBI leaders. 7 more triples and Rollins will tie Richie Ashburn for 4th all time i...

Crawford's Chronicles: JP Crawford talks Spring Training

JP Crawford, image- Jay Floyd Entering this year as the widely regarded top prospect in the Phillies organization, J.P. Crawford will be taking time each week to provide insight directly from inside spring training in Clearwater, FL, right here on PhilliesNation.com. Crawford, 20, was named the top positional prospect in two leagues (Class A South Atlantic League and Class A Advanced Florida State League) last year, when he combined, in 123 games, to post a .285 average, 11 homers, 48 RBI and 24 stolen bases. He also represented the Phils organization in the MLB All-Star Futures Game last season. As the 2015 campaign approaches, the six-foot-two 180-pound lefty batter is expected to reach the Double-A level and continue to prove why the Phillies selected him in the first round of the 2013 draft. In this initial installment of our weekly check-in with J.P., he shares thoughts on a variety of topics, including his exclusion from big league camp, which member of the big leagu...

Phreestyle Battle & Notes

Unrelated to baseball, really...but it's fun and our Phils are off today. This new kid on the hip hop scene, Charles Hamilton , whose single Brooklyn Girl is ripping up radio and video count downs, was at PSU for a performance recently. A freestyle battle ensued, and as you'll see, the Penn State student held his own. Stay tuned for the ending. It's the best part. Here are some random Phillies-in-idle baseball thoughts and notes- Colbert Hamels is slated to make his Grapefruit League debut tomorrow vs. Team Canada. Shane Victorino is going to wear #50 on his jersey for Team USA, a nod to Hawaii Five-O. Brad Lidge is likely to not see game action till next week, after he throws some more bullpen sessions and works out the tightness in his forearm. Albert Pujols is declaring "respect for his country" as reasoning for sitting out of the Cardinals' exhibition this week against Team Dominican Republic. He told reporters, "I don’t want to play against them...

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