Williams named to 2023 MLB All-Star Game roster
Adam McCalvy
@AdamMcCalvyPITTSBURGH -- Devin Williams keeps a folder on his phone of screenshotted social media messages. They tell him he¡¯s in over his head. That he¡¯s no Josh Hader. That he¡¯s no good. They are messages sent in frustration after the rare instances Williams has a poor ninth inning that costs the Brewers a ballgame.?
Once in a while, Williams browses that folder on his phone.
¡°If I don¡¯t feel like going through all my stuff today, going through my prep work,¡± Williams explained. ¡°Then I go and look at that and go, ¡®OK, it¡¯s time to go to work.¡¯¡±?
That work continued to pay off on Sunday, when Brewers manager Craig Counsell gathered the team before its series finale at PNC Park and informed them that Williams had earned a spot on the National League All-Star team.
It¡¯s his second straight All-Star selection, though last year Williams was a last-minute addition to the NL roster as a replacement. This year, he¡¯s on the squad from the start as a bona fide closer, having ascended to that role for Milwaukee following Hader¡¯s trade to San Diego last summer.
As success keeps coming, Williams is maintaining his competitive edge. Hence, the folder full of screenshots from haters.
¡°I think that¡¯s huge for me,¡± Williams said. ¡°My goal is to be perfect every time out. I don¡¯t succeed in that a lot of that time, but that¡¯s what keeps me going into the next one, and the next one. Then you finally have that good one, but you don¡¯t forget how hard you had to work before that, just to have that one perfect inning.¡±
The transition from Hader to Williams couldn¡¯t have gone more smoothly. From last year¡¯s Trade Deadline through Sunday morning, he was 23-for-28 in save opportunities with a 1.99 ERA and a .139 opponents¡¯ average, a virtual tie with Reds closer (and fellow 2023 All-Star) Alexis D¨ªaz for best in baseball for pitchers who have logged at least 40 innings over that span.?
This year, Williams is 17-for-18 in saves with a 1.52 ERA after going three-up, three-down in Sunday¡¯s 6-3, series-clinching win in Pittsburgh. Of his first 30 appearances, 28 have been scoreless, and four of the five runs he¡¯d allowed so far this season came in one game -- a blown save on June 13 at Minnesota in which Williams surrendered four runs without recording an out.?
Take away that outing, and Williams¡¯ ERA in his other 29 appearances to start the year was 0.30.
¡°I¡¯m proud of how I¡¯ve handled everything, and continued to do what I¡¯ve always done up to this point,¡± Williams said.?
In presenting the news to the team, Counsell rattled off a list of other Brewers closers to represent the club at the All-Star Game. It¡¯s a long list, from Rollie Fingers in 1981-82 to Dan Plesac to Bob Wickman, Danny Kolb, Derrick Turnbow, Francisco Cordero, Trevor Hoffman, Francisco Rodr¨ªguez, Corey Knebel and Jeremy Jeffress to Hader, who made four straight All-Star teams for Milwaukee from 2018-21, a record for a Brewers reliever. (Hader is an All-Star again this season for San Diego.)
Every season but one since 2014, at least one Brewers reliever has been an All-Star.
¡°It¡¯s been quite a run for this organization,¡± Counsell said. ¡°Trevor Hoffman was the first guy that I was fortunate to play with, and there¡¯s been excellence in that position. We¡¯re very lucky. And I think Devin belongs up there with those names.?
¡°Now, he¡¯s got a long way to go in his career, but that¡¯s how his career has started. He¡¯s pitching at the level those guys pitched at in their career.¡±
Williams is holding out hope that he¡¯ll have company in Seattle for the Midsummer Classic. Every year, players are added to All-Star Game rosters due to injury, or because a selection opts not to attend. Christian Yelich is the Brewers¡¯ leading candidate for a late nod this year.
The fact Williams is on the All-Star team from the start this season means he has time to prepare. Williams said he is already working with his preferred tailor on an eye-opening outfit for the All-Star red carpet show.
¡°[Last year] it was a quick 24-hour process,¡± he said. ¡°The guy that made my suit did it in literally 24 hours. He'll have a little bit more time this year. I got some ideas. He sent some swatches over to me. I haven't locked down anything, though.
¡°In situations like this, awards or anything along these lines, you have to give yourself a little gift, something like that. That makes it all worth it.¡±