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PhoulBallz Interview Excerpts: Reading manager Shawn Williams

Arquimedes Gamboa, image- Jay Floyd
Prior to the end of the regular season, I spoke with Double-A Reading manager Shawn Williams about several topics including outfielders Cornelius Randolph and Josh Stephen (click each of those individuals' names for those features).  Among other things the team's skipper discussed with me were the assignment of several of his players going to the Arizona Fall League this month, what he saw from infielder Arquimedes Gamboa despite a lackluster offensive stat line as well as the progress of top prospects Alec Bohm and Spencer Howard.  Read ahead for those quotes.


-Your team has several guys going to the Arizona Fall League.  I just wanted to get your opinion of how that can help their development.

It definitely does.  It's a really competitive league.  You've got all the best players, pretty much, from all the organizations.  I was fortunate enough to be out there two years ago.  I think it's a lot of fun for them.  It's, like I said, there's a lot of good players, just the competition-- I'm not gonna say it's laid back, but kind of the way that it is, it's kind of like showcasing everybody's skills.  And it's a great honor for the guys we have that are going and for everybody.


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