Major League Baseball

Williams adds veteran presence to Astros

Published Feb. 27, 2014 6:23 p.m. ET

foxsports

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) Jerome Williams is one of only a handful of Hawaiians in the major leagues and Houston's new pitcher is proud to represent his home state.

On a recent day at Astros camp he played traditional Hawaiian music in the clubhouse and donned a shirt that said Hawaii and a hat with the Hawaiian flag.

There have been 38 players in major league history that were born in Hawaii, according to Baseball Reference.

Williams was born to Hawaiian mother and an African American father who grew up in Brooklyn and moved to Hawaii in his late teens because of his affinity for the television show ''Hawaii Five-0.''

In 2013 there were less than 10 major leaguers who were born there, notably Boston's Shane Victorino and Kurt Suzuki, now with Minnesota.