Shawn Williams to Manage Single-A Williamsport

Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

With the Philadelphia Phillies 2014 season looking more and more like the failed pilot to the television series Beverly Hills Cop, it’s never too early to peek into the depths of the organization.

The short-season Single-A Williamsport Crosscutters have been a dynamic force for developing talent over the years. While in contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Andrew McCutchen began his trek towards winning the 2013 National League Most Valuable Player Award with Williamsport.

Since turning over as a member of the Phillies farm system, the Crosscutters have seen  Jesse Biddle, Maikel Franco and Cameron Rupp don their uniform. Phillies fans everywhere are hoping one of those three has the kind of impact on the Phillies that McCutchen has had on the Pirates.

It will all come down to development though. The face of this stage for the Phillies will be Shawn Williams. Recently named manager for the Crosscutters, Williams is a former first baseman within the Tampa Bay Rays organization. While he never reached the majors,

Williams showed a propensity to be an influential hitting instructor. Now he is following in the footsteps of Mickey Morandini, Andy Tracy and Nelson Prada. Morandini is now a bench coach at Triple-A Lehigh Valley while Prada earned the manager job at Single-A Lakewood.

Hopefully Williams will give the young players in Williamsport the instruction necessary to set them off on a journey to reach the majors and contribute in a meaningful way several years from now. After all, the aging Phillies roster is showing no signs of getting better. As we see with other organizations, it starts from the bottom. Let’s hope it plays out that way for Philadelphia as well.