Pittsburgh Pirates Pitcher Trevor Williams’ First PirateFest Brings His Career Full-Circle

It wasn’t long ago that Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Trevor Williams stood in line to meet his baseball idols at Chevrolet dealerships in San Diego.

On Saturday, that whole experience came full circle as he became the guy people waited in line to talk to, take selfies with and get an autograph from as the 2016 rookie participated in his first ever PirateFest as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

It’s something that still takes a little getting used to, the 24 year-old righty said after his first day working the team’s two-day indoor baseball carnival. “I think it really hit me when I was on the field for the first time and people were waiting for autographs because I used to do that when I was young. You know, it’s a cool experience and it’s something that I hope to do for a long time.”

Williams, along with many of his Pirates teammates, put a pin in their off-season activities and spent the weekend pressing the flesh and getting to know the people cheering them on throughout the season. The event, dubbed PirateFest, is the largest indoor baseball carnival of its kind and is something not all baseball fans have in their cities.

Williams grew up a dedicated San Diego Padres fan, but had to wait in line to meet his heroes at less comfortable places than Pittsburgh’s David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

“I don’t believe there was a fan fest for the Padres when I was that young, but I did go to two autograph sessions at car dealerships. I met Tony Gwynn at like a Chevrolet dealership signing and I met Trevor Hoffman at another Chevrolet signing,” he said.

PirateFest, with its endless booths, packed schedule and thousands of attendees, is a long way from a California car showroom.

“When I first came in I couldn’t really gauge how big this building was, so I saw a lot of people. Then, as I started walking around I was like, wow, there’s really a lot of people here,” he said.

Most impressive is the passion of Pittsburgh Pirates fans, he added.

“They really care about what we think as players and what they see. Ultimately, they’re the ones that are paying for the tickets and they want to see us perform at our best and they want to know what’s going on,” he said. “I appreciate that aspect of a fan.”

Don’t Be a Jerk

During his joint autograph session in the early afternoon, which required a $20 donation to Pirates Charities, two teenage boys yelled to him, asking him to autograph a baseball card they’d brought to PirateFest. They hadn’t bought a ticket to the session. “I can’t right now,” he responded to them, “But I’ll get with you later and do it then.”

That sort of graciousness is part of Williams’ outlook on life.

“One of my main rules in life is: don’t be a jerk. No one likes that – that’s what you remember people for…When you describe someone, the first thing you say usually isn’t, ‘Oh their hair looked great’ or ‘Oh their shoes were really cool’ – it’s ‘Oh yeah, they’re really nice.’ And the inverse of that is ‘Oh yeah, they’re huge jerks’,” he said. “I know I looked up to major leaguers when I was their age and I want to help influence as much as I can and be a genuinely nice guy along the way.”

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Seven year-old Josh was lucky enough to nab an autograph during that session. This was his first PirateFest, which he attended with his dad, grandpa and big brother, Joey.

The group admitted they knew Williams was one of the large crop of pitchers who came up to the bigs in the Pirates organization during the 2016 season – but weren’t really clear on exactly WHO he was, until they were told, “He’s the guy who hugged his dad.”

Then it became crystal clear.

“Oh yeah – what a moment for baseball that was,” Grandpa Don, who has followed the Pittsburgh Pirates since the early 1970’s said. “Just a great moment.”

THE Hug

Williams said his family had no idea that the September 8, 2016 scene, when his dad embraced him after he made his MLB debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates and recorded the win in relief, was captured on camera. The touching father/son moment went on to make headlines across the country.

“The stadium was pretty empty so we didn’t know cameras were on us, it was just a very raw, emotional time for my family. It was the first time I saw my dad cry,” he said. “It’s something when you’re working out, training your whole life for that moment, it’s something you don’t think about. You train to have success, you train to help the team win the World Series, and in the back of your mind you’re thinking – I’m training so my family can have a great life – I’m making these sacrifices for them, they’re making these sacrifices for me. And I think in that moment we knew that all those sacrifices were worth it. ”

What many didn’t know at the time was that Williams’ dad, Richard, was fighting lymphoma. He’s in remission now, Trevor reported with a smile. “He found out right at the beginning of the off-season, so he’s enjoying life now that he’s got a second chance,” he said.

The Off-season

Aside from getting cajoled into watching post-season baseball by his in-laws and attending PirateFest, Williams tries to distance himself from the game during the off-season.

“The first five days of the offseason I take notes – what I did good, what I didn’t do good, what I need to improve on and how can I become the greatest pitcher I can be,” the self-described voracious note-taker said. He then gives himself permission to leave work at the office, so-to-speak.

“You need a break. It’s so high intensity for 162 games,” he said. “So you need a break.”

Not one to give in to idle time, Williams is thankful for his wife, Jackie, and 14 month-old son, Ike, to help keep him occupied during the off-season.

“The baseball off-season is really boring. I work out in the mornings and then I’m just hanging out in the evening,” he said. “I’ve never been single for an off season, so if I was single it would be so boring. I would get a job just to stay busy because you work out in the morning and you eat – that’s all you do.”

Looking Ahead to 2017

Don’t mistake Williams’ boredom for complacency, however. He knows what he needs to do to make his off-season effective.

“Your job is to work out and your job is to show up in the best shape of your life for Spring Training,” he said.

Pittsburgh Pirates pitching coach Ray Searage has a specific off-season throwing program outlined for his guys. Williams just started throwing this week, he said.

He has a game plan for his 2017 season, and it’s those notes he took at the end of the 2016 season that will help guide him, he said.

He’s focusing, he said, on overall improvements as a player.

“Fastball command is one in the big leagues, getting a sharper breaking ball, using my change-up more to both lefties and righties,” he said. “I can nitpick all day…I don’t see myself as a perfectionist, but I like kind of breaking down my game and seeing what I can do to improve myself.”

After getting a taste of the big leagues from 2016, Williams said he now has a better picture of what it is like to be a major league pitcher.

“I know I made a lot of mistakes when I got up to the big leagues, I know what I need to work on…I still love the game of baseball but now it’s my job,” he said. “My job is to get outs. My job is to perform for the Pirates, for the city of Pittsburgh. And I know if you don’t perform, there’s 15 other guys behind me that will who want to take my spot.”

Image courtesy Trevor Williams