Biography:
Last year the first thing I mentioned about Jett Williams was his height. He hasn’t suddenly had a late life growth spurt or started wearing lifts to pad his measurements but perhaps, we are overselling how short 5’8” actually is. Jett Williams cannot be compared to Eddie Gaedel, the shortest player of all time and is actually taller than a number of active players, including Jose Altuve and Tony Kemp (5’6”) each.
The list of players who are just as small as Williams and seeing Major Leagues is substantial. Ignoring pitchers you’ll see players like Kolten Wong, Ozzie Albies, Mastataka Yoshida and Josh Harrison. There are others to list but this grouping already proves that the bias against shorter players might be overblown.
Resume:
2023 was a great year for Williams though I do think the Mets should have promoted him to Advanced A earlier, more on that later. His delays in the minors are likely thanks to a prolonged slump in the Month of May that saw most of his numbers suffer. If you compare only his First Half and Second Half numbers he looks like two completely different players.
- First Half: .231/.424/.355 – OPS: .779
- Second Half: .283/.417/.511 – OPS: .928
There is plenty to go over in his individual player aspects below but as seasons go, an upward trend is always better than a downward one.
Hitting:
Contact:
I would love it if Jett Williams were a .300 hitter but I don’t think he is. That’s okay because Williams is consistently a .400+ OBP player without an immaculate batting average. He has one of the most advanced eyes in the Mets farm system and that likely allows him to play at levels above his age bracket.
Power:
Hitting 14 home runs between three levels in 2023 is pretty darned impressive and his 46 extra base hits prove to me that he has more than just flukey power. I suggested him as a ceiling of more of a 20 home run hitter and that remains fair but I think Williams combination of contact, power and speed makes him dangerous for multiple bases far more often.
Speed:
Williams is probably the Mets second best base stealer in the minors and he swiped 51 bags in 2023 to prove his metal. I don’t see any reason similar numbers couldn’t be achieved unless pitcher rules are altered again to curtail the runners.
Fielding:
Williams still projects as a plus fielding shortstop at the major league level. Now, I had originally projected Williams timetable for reaching the majors in 2026, at which point, perhaps Fransciso Lindor would cede his position to the younger player but Williams is talking to the media about 2024 after he ended 2023 in AA. Williams will not be a defensive problem wherever he plays.
Outlook:
Williams ended his 2023 season in AA and a lot of fans would not be happy to see him return to Advanced A despite having a limited showing at that level. I can see the Mets doing that. Williams may have finished his year in AA but that was more about the minor league playoffs and giving a top prospect post season exposure. The bigger questions happen as he runs into Luisangel Acuna, Ronny Mauricio and Jeff McNeil as there are too many players for too few positions. My money is on Williams sticking with the Mets.
Comp:
It was not the comp I was expecting to wind up with but there are justifiable reasons to issue a comp to the great Jose Altuve here. Their numbers at similar ages, levels and sizes all actually lean in Williams’ favor at the moment. The one item Altuve is unquestionably better with is batting average but in the age of OPS I think that Williams’ ceiling could look similar.
Williams was only 19 years old last season. He apparently mastered A ball so give him AA ball at 20 years of age. He has a good eye with an elite OBP and his speed has written all over it – lead off batter. His homerun power is a bonus and the multiple base should be developed further. This year he should split time evenly at centerfield and shortstop. Because of his age and his accomplishments so far, I would not trade him. He looks to be a keeper. Let’s see how he does in AA.
In a weird way, Acuna may affect Williams’ position in the majors. In the interview with Dan Szymborski the other day, he wondered if Acuna had the profile for anywhere other than middle infield. Since Lindor’s not moving off SS anytime soon, that leaves 2B for Acuna, which means the Mets might have an OF of Nimmo, Williams and McNeil at some point in ’25.
Williams is certainly an exciting player at this point, but the bigs are still a ways away. The thought of having an Altuve-like player in CF, well, I’ll try to hold off on that for the time being.
It is not the commonly accepted method, but why not try and promote players through the minors more quickly, especially those coming out of college who are not teenagers and who have a higher level of maturity? I don’t buy the early move up, if not successful, will harm the player’s psyche. For some it could be an opportunity. I’m not comparing any one to the Say Hey kid, but as the story goes, he was 0-21 to start off with the Giants, but they essentially told him to chill and that CF was his. Williams in 2024 is a bit of a stretch for a 19 year old, but start him at AA and if he excels by the mid point, move him to Syracuse. And kudos for giving him reps at CF since we need Lindor at SS to anchor this infield. If we had found alternate positions for Baty, Vientos and Mauricio, perhaps we would not be agonizing over where to play them. And finally, I’ve lived most of my life at 5’8” so Williams might just become my next favorite player.
Thanks for the update David. Some questions:
1. If he can play SS, is the arm string enough for 3B? He’s not displacing Lindor at any time in the foreseeable future. Longer throw, and the speed needed to be proficient is great. Could he be the 3B we cant seem to find?
2. Where do you see him fitting into the big league batting line up? Seems to profile for batting lead off with high OBP and stealing potential, but is it smart to displace Nimmo or Lindor or? A thought I had was to put him 8th or 9th as a bottom of the order lead off person capable of cleaning our the bases ahead of him or being the table setter for the top of the order.
3. Advanced eye. I love hearing that, but Im always concerned that minor league pitching is a long long way from major league pitching. Im curious how you think eye translates to the bigs for him. I mean Baty goes to AAA and can hit for avg and power blindfolded and gets to the show and looks like hes never played baseball before.
FWIW, here are my replies to your questions:
1. If Mauricio is to play the infield, he’s probably a better option at 3B than Williams.
2. He should displace Lindor in the 2-spot
3. Baty had 121 PA in Triple-A last year, with his second stint (79 PA) nowhere near as good as what he did initially. I don’t believe we can tell very much about him from his Triple-A numbers.
I had the pleasure of coaching Jett’s older brother RJ when their family moved up to Long Island for 4 years while their dad finished his degree at Stony Brook. RJ along with the middle brother Jacob, who was a stand out Lacrosse player, were perfect role models for Jett. Dad, was what I call, the perfect athlete dad. He wasn’t the parent you see yelling and screaming. He let all his boys make it on their own. Jett, well, he was clearly way ahead of his age. At 3 years old he looked like his was 12. What separated Jett from everyone around him. He is dedicated. He gives 110% from start to finish. He is humble. The perfect role model for kids to look up to.
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What a wonderful story – thanks for sharing!
All of us here are huge Jett Williams fans. I hope you’ll continue to visit here in the future.