Carson Williams is a high-profile prospect in the Tampa Bay Rays' fertile farm system. Drafted 28th overall in 2021 out of Torrey Pines High School in San Diego, the 20-year-old shortstop is No. 20 on MLB Pipeline's recently released Top 100 Players list, and will also rank prominently when our list appears Special next month. His 2023 production provided ample evidence of his additional tools. Williams played primarily at High-A Bowling Green, and with pitchers at the Double-A and Triple-A levels, Williams hit 23 home runs while putting up a 130 wRC+.
Eric Neander was effusive in his praise when he gave a rundown on the young player during GM meetings in November.
“The physicality is unbelievable in all aspects of the game, on both sides of the ball,” Tampa Bay's president of baseball operations told me. “And someone who is forced to do that mentally and emotionally. He handles it well. He's very close to the full package in terms of his potential and the components you want to see at such a young age.”
Fittingly, Williams seemed humble and self-aware when I spoke with him late in the Arizona Fall League season. When asked where his development is, he responded that he is “right in the middle of it,” adding that “the minor leagues are a tough road” and that he is “going through all the normal things a kid out of high school goes through.” The school should do it.” One of those challenges, he readily admits, is the challenge of competing against professional pitchers who have missing bats. If there's a red flag among his prospect profile, it's the 31.4% strikeout rate on the general ledger the past.
“I'm working on my contact rate,” Williams admitted. “I'm not worried about exit velocities, launch angles, or anything like that. My swing is strong, so when I put the ball in play, it usually comes out hot. Right now, my focus is on putting the ball in play. Whenever I put the ball in play “In playing, the better you get at shooting.”
He could have been a pitcher. Many scouts preferred him on the mound, and there are those who believe he could succeed even as a two-way player. I brought this up with the CEO of Tampa Bay.
“That would be a better question for him,” Neander said. “It was something where he definitely had a lot of talent, but ultimately there was a desire for him to have the opportunity to play shortstop and be an everyday player.”
Was it Williams' desire to simply sell short and thus abandon the promotion?
“That was our opinion as to where he was best, and it seemed to fit well with his interests,” was Neander's response to this question. “We made him stronger on that side of the ball, that's why we took him. He's signed, and we couldn't be happier with his development.
Williams demurred when I asked him about his own thoughts on the subject.
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Random matches between the hitter and the pitcher
Danny Taylor went 14 for 62 off Bill Swift.
Reggie Jackson went 6 for 15 against Lamar Hoyt.
David Justice went 3 for 28 against Ken Hill.
Jerry Goff went 1-for-6 against John Smoltz.
Ron Kittle went 0-for-3 against Jeff Montgomery.
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I took a poll this week asking which of the two quarterback theories people prefer, Lou Whitaker-Jimmy Rollins or Chase Utley-Alan Trammell. The results were relatively one-sided, with the latter pair receiving a whopping 77.7% of the vote.
The survey was more of a thought experiment than anything else, so there's no real reason to discuss the results. However, here's a small selection of their combined numbers:
Whitaker Rollins: 4,824 hits, 475 home runs, 613 stolen bases, 117.7 WAR.
Utley Trammell: 4,250 hits, 444 home runs, 390 stolen bases, 125.3 WAR.
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a test:
Who holds the MLB record for most games played as a first baseman?
The answer can be found below.
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News notes
Terry Ryan and Rick Stelmaszczyk were elected to the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame. Ryan served as the team's general manager from 1994-2007 and again from 2011-2016. Stelmaszek, who died of cancer in 2017, was a member of the club's coaching staff for 32 consecutive seasons starting in 1980.
Ryan Braun has been elected to the Milwaukee Brewers Walk of Fame. Brown spent his 14-year career with the Brewers, where he hit a career-best 352 home runs and posted a 135 wRC+ from 2017-2020. His resume also includes six All-Star berths, a Rookie of the Year award, and a National League MVP award.
The Miami Marlins are reportedly hiring Brandon Mann as their strategist. Mann, a former MLB and NPB player who served as an instructor at Driveline, was featured here on FanGraphs in June 2020.
Baseball field summary She named Alex Cohen as Broadcaster of the Year for 2023. A guest on FanGraphs Audio back in August 2021, Cohen calls games for the Iowa Cubs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs.
The Visalia Rawhide (Low-A, Arizona Diamondbacks) has hired Joey Gonzalez as their new play-by-play announcer. The Texas State University graduate, a class of 2023 intern, will replace Jill Gerin, who will now be the call-caller for the Atlantic League's Charleston Dirty Birds.
Steve Staggs, the infielder who played for the Toronto Blue Jays in 1977 and the Oakland Athletics in 1978, died last Sunday at the age of 72 (per baseball player's statement). One of dozens of Alaska-born players in MLB history, the Anchorage native hit 94 career home runs, the first of which was a home run in his big-league debut.
Red Swanson, the right-handed pitcher who appeared in 42 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1955-57, died this week at age 87. Swanson was a bonus kid, making his big league debut at 18 and throwing his last big hit. League Stadium three weeks before his 21st birthday. His career record includes a 3-3 record and a 4.90 ERA.
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The answer to the quiz is Eddie Murray, who played in 2,513 games as a first baseman.
Related Murray Note: The Hall of Famer made three big-league starts as a third baseman, all with the Baltimore Orioles to open the 1978 season, and with Les May at first. The Orioles were outscored 40-11 while being swept by the Milwaukee Brewers in the season opener.
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Bill James revealed on Friday that he recently suffered a stroke. To each his own Social media message, the famous writer/statistician/historian “somewhat agrees,” that numbness in his right hand appears to be the primary problem. Needless to say, the whole world wishes him well in his recovery.
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Random, mysterious shot of a former player:
Babe Falk — his given name was Babe August Falk — hit .314 while playing for the Chicago White Sox from 1920-1928 and the Cleveland Indians from 1929-1932. Born in Austin, Texas on January 27, 1899, the left-handed outfielder had his best season in 1926 when he slashed .345/.415/.477 with a 134 wRC+ and a career-high 195 strikeouts. He became head baseball coach at the University of Texas from 1940 to 1967.
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Foreign affairs
Hiroki Kuroda and Motonobu Tanishige were announced last week as the newest members of the Japan Baseball Hall of Fame. Kuroda won 124 games over 13 seasons with the Hiroshima Carps of the NBP, and 79 games over seven seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees. Tanishige, who played for Yokohama and Chunichi in a career spanning 1989-2015, played in 3,021 matches, the most in Japanese history.
The Perth Heat and Adelaide Giants advanced to the Australian Baseball League Championship Series earlier today, each winning the deciding game in a best-of-three semi-final match. Adelaide defeated the Melbourne Ice 2-1, while the Heat defeated the Brisbane Bandits 5-4. The finals – which start next Friday – will be a repeat of last year, which saw the Giants come out on top.
The Kia Tigers team has suspended its manager Kim Jong Kook, who is being investigated for bribery (link to story here). The KBO club's general manager was fired a year ago for similar offenses.
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MLB NOW recently provided a list of the top 10 lefties not in the Hall of Fame, according to Bob Costas. I support the bulk of the choices, with one notable exception. Among Kostas is Kirk Gibson, who started just 456 games in this position during his career. Furthermore, Gibson is not even the best non-Hall of Fame Detroit Tigers player to have played left field with any regularity. No offense to Gibson, but he recorded 1,553 hits, 2,686 total bases, a 123 wRC+, and a 35.9 WAR. Bobby Fitch, who started 1,653 games as a left fielder, had 2,063 hits, 2,942 total bases, a 124 wRC+, and a 43.8 WAR. Gibson has postseason championships on his side, but that's largely circumstantial. Veach's October resume consists of just two plate appearances, both as a 37-year-old in his final season.
Fitch played from 1912-25, all of the last two years in a Detroit uniform, and to say he was overshadowed by his teammates would be an understatement. Ty Cobb, Sam Crawford, and Harry Hillman were all Tigers during his tenure, and each has a plaque hanging in Cooperstown. Veach wasn't on par with them, but that doesn't mean he's not one of the top ten left tackles not in the Hall of Fame. Even if he isn't, he has better credentials than Gibson.
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Links you'll love
Pitcher ListNate Kocher looked at the eight players who belong to the Hall of Fame.
The 2024 Cleveland Guardians' home opener, April 8, will be played amid a total solar eclipse. Zach Meisel wrote about it in The athlete (Subscription required).
Carter Stewart is set to start his sixth season in Japan, after signing with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks instead of the Atlanta Braves, who drafted him eighth overall out of a Florida high school in 2018. Jim Allen spoke to the 24-year-old right-hander Kyodo News.
Rocky Sasaki re-signed with the Chiba Lotte Marines of the NPB this week, but only for one year as he hopes to take his immense talent to the MLB. Thomas Harrigan has the story on MLB.com.
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Random facts and statistics
Brandon Marsh has a .384 BABIP, the highest among active players with at least 1,000 career plate appearances. Bo Bichette has a .349 BABIP, the highest among active players with at least 2,000 career plate appearances.
Joe Mauer played in 1,858 games and had a .306 batting average and a 123 wRC. Ernie Lombardi played in 1,853 games and had a .306 batting average and a 125 wRC. They are the only two players in MLB history with multiple batting titles.
Anthony Rizzo has 6,961 plate appearances, a 364 OBP, and a 128 wRC+.
Bob Watson has 6,962 plate appearances, a 364 OBP, and a 128 wRC+.
Felix Hernandez pitched in 419 games and went 169-136 with a 117 ERA+.
Kevin Appear pitched in 414 games and went 169-137 with a 121 ERA+.
Hall of Fame southpaw Warren Spahn had eight 21-win seasons. He also had two 22-win seasons, two 23-win seasons, and one 20-win season.
Wilbur Wood had 138 wins and 53 saves from 1968-75. The left-handed outfielder threw 22 strikeouts over eight seasons.
The San Francisco Giants signed Dan Quisenberry as a free agent on today's date in 1990. The once-so-close team went on to take the mound just five times for the Giants, posting a 13.50 ERA in his final big-league season.
On this day in 1982, the California Angels acquired Doug DeCinces and Jeff Schneider from the Baltimore Orioles for Disco Dan Ford. DeCinces went on to leave the yard 30 times while recording a 147 wRC+ in his first season on the West Coast. All told, he homered 130 times in six seasons as an Angel.
Among the players born in today's history is Emil Yedi, a left-handed pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1924 to 1927 who played for the Detroit Tigers in 1929. The Great Lakes, Illinois, native went 16-3 with a 2.83 ERA in his rookie season, and followed With a 17-9 record the team went on to win the 1925 World Series in seven games over Walter Johnson's Washington Nationals.
Also born on this day was Pete Runnels, a left-handed slugger who won the American League pennant with the Boston Red Sox in 1960 and 1962. Runnels, who hit .291 over 14 big-league seasons, went 0-10 in stolen base attempts with the Washington Nationals in 1952, five years before the team changed its name to the Senators in 1957.
