By: Frankie Benvenuti

Kenny Williams has spent the past couple of years touring the independent leagues, making stops in Salina, Monterey, Wasco, Sioux City, and now Ottawa, where he has found a home with the Titans. 

That new home hasn’t come without its challenges, as Williams missed time in 2022 with an injury, before taking on a role closer to assistant coach than a relief pitcher. He spent time translating in both Spanish and Japanese, as a first base coach, a bullpen catcher, and a hitting coach, particularly for Japanese catcher, Mitsuki Fukuda. 

His role off the field was equally as big, pitching in doing little jobs around the clubhouse, whether it was helping with laundry, getting someone a piece of equipment they needed, or tidying up. 

Pitching just 17 innings in 10 appearances, it would have been easy to get down, but Williams adopted a positive attitude toward the situation, and took it on the chin. 

“Any chance you have to be a part of a winning club is a good opportunity,” said Williams. “Even without being on the field all the time, I got the chance to pitch, but I got to learn from being around those guys.” 

Away from the ballpark, he was equally as impactful, volunteering his time at community events and coordinating camps for kids, earning praise from General Manager Martin Boyce, who called him the “backbone of the expansion Ottawa Titans.” For his efforts, Williams was awarded the Frontier League’s Fran Riordan Award, awarded to the citizen of the year. 

There was one motivation behind all of it: make himself impactful on the franchise in any way possible. 

“In baseball, flexibility is key, especially when you are a pitcher,” he said. “There are 12 pitchers on the roster and only one guy on the mound at a time, so in that off time, you have to find a way to provide value.” 

Heading into 2023, Williams is looking to serve a different role with the Titans. While he will still make plenty of effort to go above and beyond for his teammates, he wants to be on the mound, pitching in key moments. 

With all his lessons learned, Williams headed back to Seattle for the offseason, and began working out. Among those in his group, Boston Red Sox pitcher, James Paxton. 

“I threw with Paxton until he left [for Spring Training],” Williams revealed. “Getting to pick his mind was invaluable. You see the thought process and the diligence that goes into his preparation, it’s something to model my off-season's after.” 

It’s not the first time Williams has worked with MLB talent, but it was beneficial for the 27-year-old. He took in as much of Paxton’s routine and work as possible, and plans to implement some of the things that have worked for The Big Maple. 

“He shows up and already knows exactly what he’s going to do for his whole workout, he has a plan going forward,” Williams observed. “It’s not just days, he’s planning weeks and months out. It makes it easy, because there’s no guesswork, you just show up and do what you need to do.” 

A set routine is often challenging in independent baseball, however. When you get to the park, you never know what gear the next city will have, putting an emphasis on being malleable mentally, and having the ability to adjust. 

Oftentimes, routines are reliant on what you can pack into your duffle bag on the road, something Williams is now begging to become accustomed to. 

“Going into my second season, I’m really starting to understand what I need to provide for myself,” Williams explained. “Part of that routine is probably going to have to include going to the gym during the day so I don’t have to make it happen with what we have in the training room.” 

In the past, that routine has been in an effort to limit the long ball, and not give away the free pass. In 2022, it worked out for Williams, allowing no home runs in his 10 outings, and walking just 10 hitters against his 16 strikeouts. 

That intention remains, saying he learned a lot about how to miss pitches in 2022. 

“If you throw a ball in the dirt, you’re going to get it back, but if you throw it right down the middle, there’s a chance you’re not going to,” Williams said. 

May seems like it’s a long way away, but with MLB set to start Spring Training, and the World Baseball Classic soon to follow, Williams says that most of his training group has disbanded. That serves as a checkmark in his list of offseason preparation, signaling to himself that it’s nearly time to go. 

“The itch is always there,” Williams said. “As people start to head off, you start to check things off and get ready for competition.”