Pinstripe Preview: Mason Williams
Many reading this are somewhat familiar with Mason
Williams. He appeared in just eight games in the 2015 season in which he hit .286
before he suffered a shoulder injury. In 2016, he was called up when the roster
expanded and appeared in twelve games. Williams is an outfielder who’s spot on
the team is questionable after the injuries he suffered the past two years and the top prospects the Yankees acquired at the
trade deadline last season.
2016 Review:
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| Photo Credit: Patrick Smith | Getty Images |
2016 Review:
The 25-year-old outfielder spent most of 2016 in the
minor leagues, spending most of his time at the Triple-A level with the
Railriders. There, he had a slash line of .296/.313/.376 in 32 games. He also
played 11 games with the Tampa Yankees, where he hit .333 with an OBP of .349
in 42 at bats. When he was finally called up to the major-league roster there
was a small sample size of what he can do, but from that he was a fairly
consistent hitter when he got up to the plate and a slightly above average
glove in the outfield. The same as what we saw when he was up in the 2015
season.
He was still dealing with some injuries throughout the
year so he wasn’t playing consistently all year. For that reason it is tough to
say what type of player Williams is for the Yankees. Before the trade deadline
came around, Mason Williams looked like he could have been a decent everyday
player for the Yankees in the future, but after his injury-plagued year, and
the new players the Yankees have acquired, he may not be around for much
longer.
2017
Outlook:
Mason Williams was just cut from the major-league camp
on March 16 along with a few others. As said before, his future with the team
is questionable after acquiring some top prospects at the trade deadline. The
outfield of the future for the Yankees seems to be set, and it doesn’t include
Williams in it. Williams will be starting the year in Scranton with the
Triple-A squad most likely, and seeing him being called up before a player like
Clint Frazier seems unlikely. Hopefully Williams can perform great in the
minor leagues this year, and he could be a very good trade piece later in the year if the
Yankees are in the position to buy at the deadline.
For the short amount of time he has been in the MLB he
has looked good, so even though he is already 25 with not much high level
experience there may be some teams who are willing to give him a chance.
Obviously if he comes out of nowhere and has a monster season and proves he can
be a great player then it will be tough to leave him down, but at 25, I don’t
see that happening.
Article by Greg Wilson
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