Williamson returns to spring darling role
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. » The Giants already have a starting left fielder and a starting right fielder, but if the team were looking for a tight end, Mac Williamson could play the part.
At 6- foot- 4 and 237 pounds, Williamson is an imposing presence who looks as if he’d have asmuch ease bowling over safeties as he does launching battingpractice home runs.
Since the Giants drafted Williamson out of Wake Forest in 2012, he’s never had an issue looking the part. It’s fulfilling all of his athletic potential that hasn’t come so easily.
Williamson has appeared in 92 games three seasons with the Giants, but never forced his way into the lineup on a consistent basis. Even after becoming a spring darling in 2015 and ’16, Williamson has played 20 big league games in a month only once in his career
His inconsistent playing time spurred inconsistent results.
Those inconsistent results led Williamson on a search.
“The basic ideas and principles are being balanced throughout the swing, getting everything moving in the right direction toward the pitcher,” Williamson said, when asked to break down the revamped swing he’s showing off this spring. “Try to have minimal wasted movement and try to get my hands down a little bit and be more quiet.”
After watching former Sacramento River Cats teammate Tim Federowicz hit last year, Williamson asked his catcher for tips. Federowicz passed Williamson on to a pair of hitting coaches, Doug Latta and Craig Wallenbrock, and over the offseason, Williamson overhauled his mechanics at the plate.
Williamson’s first conversation with Latta came before the Giants’ Sept. 24 showdown with Clayton Kershaw in Los Angeles last year. After a morning meet- ing, Williamson went 3-for-3 with a home run.
Latta didn’t have Williamson tinker with much that day, but they changed quite a bit this winter.
When Williamson arrived at Giants camp this spring, he did so knowing where he stood on the club’s depth chart. Because he still has a minor league option available, Williamson recognized the odds aren’t necessarily in his favor when it comes to earning a 25-man roster spot.
That mentality hasn’t changed what he’s accomplishing.
“If you come out in spring training and absolutely blow the doors off of it and force the issue, you just make the decision tough on them,” Williamson said.
In the first half of Cactus League play, Williamson leads all Giants players with 10 hits, 6 extra-base hits and 12 runs batted in. He’s clearly outplaying his competition for backup corner outfield spots, including Jarrett Parker, who has struck out in 15 of 23 at-bats this spring.
Should the Giants prioritize starting hot and rewarding top spring performers with 25-man roster spots? Or should they stash outfielders like Williamson, Steven Duggar and Austin Slater in Triple-A because they have options in favor of Parker, Gregor Blanco and Gorkys Hernandez?
It’s a difficult balance for San Francisco, but it’s important to maintain long-term perspective.
“It’s not going to be the 25 guys that break camp, it’s going to be the 30 or 37 guys that end up playing for us this year that are going to make the difference,” Slater said.
The fact two players with options, Williamson and Slater, grasp the business aspects of the Giants’ upcoming decisions is helpful for the club, but Manager Bruce Bochy insists they can still earn their way onto the team.
“If you look at our outfielders that are in camp here, all of them are in the mix,” Bochy said. “Some- times you have two or three young guys and you know they’re going down, but all of our guys are themix.”
With three spots locked by players over 30— Hunter Pence, Andrew McCutchen and Austin Jackson — the Giants are hopeful the other two outfield jobs will be filled by players who can perform with greater consistency.
Williamson’s revamped swing has given him a much better chance to do so after struggling to prove asmuch in past opportunities.
• Giants right-hander Johnny Cueto made his second start of the spring Thursday, stretching out for three scoreless innings in Peoria against the Mariners. Cueto focused on foiling hitters’ timing by varying the speed of his delivery, and it worked to the tune of five strikeouts.
“I think everything felt better,” Cueto said. “I was throwing all ofmy breaking balls and I was putting the ball where Iwanted to. I had good control.”
Cueto allowed two hits, but one was an infield single.