Williams working way back to shape
Pawtucket native feeling good at the plate
PAWTUCKET – When his plate discipline lacked in the season’s first few weeks, the consensus was that Mason Williams was making up for lost time. After all, spring training for the Pawtucket native got off to a late start after patella tendinitis in his left knee resurfaced right before his scheduled report date to New York Yankees’ camp.
Now that May is in full bloom, Williams won’t stand for excuses.
By the same token, he knows there’s still a long road ahead. Through 26 games for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the 25-year-old had posted a triple-slash line of .213/.260/.234. He hasn’t come close to approaching any of those numbers – either in the majors or the minors – since his fivegame cameo with the Yankees’ Gulf Coast affiliate in 2010.
The 6-1, 185-pound Williams is a career .275 hitter in 506 minor-league games – all prior to this season – with an on-base percentage of .330 and a slugging mark of .379. Given his track record, it goes without saying that his slow start is the exception rather than the rule.
“I wouldn’t have said on the first day of the season that I was behind in at-bats,” Williams prior to batting seventh and playing centerfield for Scranton on Tuesday night at McCoy Stadium. “I’m healthy and I’m playing every day, which I’m fortunate for. I’ve just got to swing at good pitches. I’m not having the luck I would want to have right now, but I don’t feel bad at the plate.
“It’s May,” Williams added. “It’s time to go, but it’s still early in the season. Still, my main focus is to see pitches and have good at-bats.”
Williams enjoyed a very productive atbat in his first plate appearance on Tuesday. He served an 0-2 pitch from Pawtucket starter Brian Johnson into shallow left field and went on to score Scranton’s second run on a double by No. 8 hitter Cito Culver. His next two turns culminated in base hits, a bunt single in the fourth and a ground ball to centerfield in the sixth. Those three hits helped raise his batting average to .237.
“He’s been working his butt off in the cage, trying to find his timing and rhythm of his swing,” Scranton manager Al Pedrique said. “It’s only a matter of time. Hopefully he’ll soon be back to normal.”
The inflammation that Williams experienced in the offseason stemmed from shin splints that he says had been building over time. He wound up missing the first weekand-a-half of spring training but returned in time to appear in four Grapefruit League contests (2-for-6, 3 RBI) before getting optioned to the minors on March 17.
“I do a lot of running in the offseason. Probably too much too early,” said the Darlington American Little League product/St. Teresa School alum. “They wanted me to chill out a little bit at the beginning of spring training, but everything is much better now.”
The flair-up in Williams’ knee came after a 2016 season that between the majors and the minors saw him appear in 45 games. Shoulder surgery delayed his availability, but he finished out the year on a positive note, hitting .296 in 12 games with the same New York franchise that selected him in the fourth round of the 2010 draft.
The son of former New England Patriots wide receiver Derwin Williams went into this season with an outside shot to make the Opening Day roster as the Yankees’ fourth outfielder. Williams is still on the 40-man roster, meaning he can be summoned at any point.
“The goal is to get back there and help those guys win games,” Williams said. “Right now, I’m playing for the RailRiders. After that, I can’t really control when I get back up there. I can control how I play and what type of teammate I am right now.”
Williams is a centerfielder by trade, though he’s also seen action in right and left this season. He’s also logged three starts as Scranton’s designated hitter.
“If it were up to me, I would just want to play centerfield. But having that versatility will help me in the long run. If I have another opportunity to go up and help the big-league club win some games, whether it’s in centerfield, left, or right, I’ll do whatever I can,” Williams said.
Also of note, Williams has swiped three bases in 26 games after notching just one theft in 2016. He stole 20 or more bases in three of his first five seasons in the minors.
“I haven’t been on base as much as I would like to, but I’m still working,” Williams said.
Williams is approaching the two-year anniversary of his debut with the Yankees.
“I don’t really think about my debut or how long it’s been,” he said. “I’m just trying to do everything I can to stay positive and work hard.”