It’s shaping up to be a busy summer for Jaquez Williams.
The former East Coweta High first baseman already has a week of games in the Arizona Rookie League under his belt as of Friday. He started quickly after being selected by the San Diego Padres in the 18th round of last month’s Major League Baseball draft, the 534th overall pick. Within 24 hours of that pick, was signed and had a plane ticket to go west.
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Williams expects to be in Arizona until September and hopes to have his family join him soon, he told the Citizen by phone a couple of days after he arrived. He was acclimating himself to the high heat and low humidity of that desert state, which he said was “like a dryer.”
Williams received feelers from the Atlanta Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates, Texas Rangers and New York Mets before his selection by the Padres.
His career at East Coweta included two trips to the Elite 8 in AAAAAA as a sophomore and junior, while this year’s team reached the second round of the state playoffs before losing to Collins Hill. He was a three-year starter.
Williams played football for the Indians in grades 9-11, seeing action at tight end, defensive end and linebacker. He declined to play as a senior, having suffered three concussions in his career, and concentrated on baseball.
The Padres are likely pleased that he did.
