Williams’ natural hitting ability quickly shows during both batting practice and in game action. The 19-year-old left-handed hitter possesses excellent hands, and knows how to use them. The swing covers both sides of the plate, generating solid leverage for producing backspin when offerings are squared up. In this series, just about every ball Williams hit was hard, loud, and came off his bat with authority. The lefty showed a sweet spot from the right-center field gap to the left-center field gap, with the mindset to take what was given to him and use the whole field. The ball-to-sweet spot of the barrel contact was also very impressive. There’s hitting ability that just can’t be taught.
Williams’ swing stays in the zone and allows him to wait back against offerings, while also giving him a chance to adjust to the path of the pitch. I can see the hitter being able to hit .300 in the major leagues during a peak season or two as he continued to develop, with the potential to consistently post averages in the .275-.295 range at full utility. One area to watch is the development of Williams’ pitch selection. Presently, he’s unchallenged at the level to work counts due to his advanced ability. It isn’t that the left-handed hitter is unwilling to be patient, but he isn’t often tested to do so as when he gets his pitch, he rips it. Williams will need to demonstrate he can pick out good offerings to handle as he gets to the next level and beyond.
Though profiling as a left fielder, Williams’ hitting talent can carry him to the role of a major-league regular. Given that the young hitter shows a knack for squaring balls up and has the bat speed, there’s the potential for 15-18 home runs as he continues to mature and learn his strike zone. Williams was by far the most polished hitter on the field, and should be able to make a relatively smooth adjustment to the next level when he takes the next step up the ranks