BBB Top Prospect Countdown #16: Mason Williams
Speedy outfielder Mason Williams grabbed the attention
of Yankees fans last June when he robbed Baltimore Orioles catcher Matt Weiters
of extra bases — making an outstanding sliding catch into the right-center field
fence at Camden Yards. Unfortunately for Williams, his season came to an end
later that week as he injured his shoulder diving back into 1st base
in a game against the Tigers. Williams will look to have a rebound season in
2016.
 |
| Photo Via Getty Images |
Breakdown
Williams has been known as an elite prospect in the
Yankees system since 2010, but after hitting .223 in 128 games for AA Trenton
in 2014, many scouts wondered if his highly-praised defense would be enough to
get him to the show. In 2015, Williams answered these doubts.
Between 54 games with AA Trenton and AAA Scranton,
Williams hit .318 and got on base at an outstanding .397 clip. The Yankees took
note of Williams’ performance, and called him up in the wake of outfielder
Jacoby Ellsbury’s knee injury — which sidelined him for over a month.
In Williams’ eight games with the Yankees, he made
several outstanding catches, and looked lightning quick in the outfield. In 21
at-bats, Williams hit .286 and hit his first MLB home run (in his first at-bat)
before the aforementioned shoulder-injury ended his season on June 21st.
Projection
Brian Cashman’s November acquisition of outfielder
Aaron Hicks from the Minnesota Twins put a damper on Williams’ chance of
cracking the Yankees roster out of spring training. Cashman
has said that he sees Hicks as an every day player, so he will likely make
the team out of spring training as the team’s reserve outfielder.
Fortunately for Williams, all three of
the Yankees starting outfielders battled injuries at some point in 2015, so an
opportunity may present itself for Williams to see some time in the Bronx in
2016.
Another possibility is that the Yankees
could decide to take four bench players, and utilize Williams as a pinch runner
and/or defensive upgrade late in the game. Considering Carlos Beltran usually
looks like he is jogging after fly balls hit to right field, I think this
option makes a lot of sense for the Yankees. Williams has already proven that
his glove is MLB-ready, and now that his bat has come around, Williams is ready
to establish himself as a major leaguer.
If Williams puts up big numbers in
spring training, he could be a legitimate candidate to break camp with the
Yankees come opening-day.
You can view his major league and minor
league statistics HERE.
You can keep up with our full top 30 list with links to our breakdowns HERE.
Follow me on twitter @SCriscitello11
Follow the BBB on twitter @BronxBomberBlog
Comments
Post a Comment