Hot corner, hot potato
Ben Williamson will make his MLB debut tonight in Cincinnati.
The Mariners initial plan for third base this year was Jorge Polanco, who has been excellent at the plate through the first 16 games. But Polanco has (predictably) struggled in the field, and he's also not quite healthy, meaning he's limited to DH and only against right handed pitching (he can only swing from side of the plate right now).
The pivot away from Polanco at third was fine initially, with Miles Mastrobuoni taking over at third against righties and Dylan Moore against lefties. It wasn't the most inspiring platoon, but it worked. The Mariners currently lead MLB with a 184 wRC+ at third base.
But when the team lost Victor Robles and Ryan Bliss last week in quick succession, Moore's versatility was needed elsewhere, leaving a hole on the short side of the third base platoon. It appears Williamson will now assume that role. While he represents a likely upgrade on defense for a third base group that's struggled in the field early on, whether he can continue the Mariners scorching positional production with the bat is to be determined.
Williamson is technically a top prospect but not really. He ranked 120th on the ZiPS preseason top 100 list, and his inclusion on that list put him on the radar of Mariners Land. Williamson is an exceptional defender, with his glove alone good enough to qualify him for MLB. I liked this quote he gave to The Seattle Times:
(Perry) Hill, nicknamed “Bone,” put the prospects through drills on a Peoria backfield players call “The Boneyard,” and left a mark on Williamson with a simple bit of advice.
“He said, ‘We’re going to be the most vanilla unit in the league,’” Williamson said. “’We’re not going to do anything flashy, we’re going to make the plays that are in our box, so like all the routine plays. Anything outside that box, we’re going to be athletes.’ And that really stuck with me.”
Most public prospect evaluators don't think as highly of Williamson as ZiPS. The glove is universally applauded, but many are skeptical of the bat. Williamson made a decent amount of contact in the minors but hasn't shown much in the way of power. And really, he hasn't shown much of anything, with just 645 professional plate appearances before getting the call -- only Mike Zunino made his way through the Mariners minor leagues quicker.
And that's what makes this a more interesting call up than usual. Williamson has an elite skill that would normally make him a prime candidate for the Full Development Track. In a perfect world, I think the team would prefer to see if they could develop a complete batter to be the Mariners next true third baseman. But the Mariners find themselves desperate for the specific skill Williamson provides right now, and they're willing to stunt or delay his development at the plate to satisfy an immediate roster need.
Now, I don't actually know that a call up now stunts or delays anything. I'm not sure anybody has figured out whether learning at MLB is worse long term than learning in the minors. And maybe having direct access to the Mariners best batting coaches and data is more helpful than building confidence against minor league pitchers. Plus, it's possible Williamson has already hit his ceiling as a batter -- that he would ever develop power seems like a long shot, and the contact ability is already there. And, well, given the group of Mariners infield prospects working their way through the minors, maybe Williamson wouldn't be the first option for a call up in a few months or a year.
Ready or not, the Mariners are calling on Williamson, and it's an opportunity to prove himself a useful contributor or more.
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