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PAWTUCKET – June will always be a month of baseball milestones for Mason Williams. Eight years ago this month, he was selected by the New York Yankees in the fourth round. He’s rapidly approaching the third anniversary of his debut with the Bronx Bombers – June 12, 2015 to be exact.
“Sometimes, all those events feel like they happened yesterday,” Williams said.
Time sure does fly, which the Pawtucket native readily acknowledged earlier this week while sitting in the visitors’ dugout at McCoy Stadium. He’s now in his ninth minor-league season. At this stage, you won’t find his name on the same coveted prospect watch lists that earmarked the early years of his pro career. The 26-year-old has entered a different phase, morphing from promising up-and-comer to an outfielder who looks at the game through a different lens, while wearing the colors of a team that didn’t draft him.
For Williams, this is his first season with the Cincinnati Reds organization. Right now, he’s based in Triple-A Louisville, hoping that his bat comes around in a fashion befitting someone with a strong reputation as a topflight defender. The Darlington American Little League product and St. Teresa School alum went 2-for-10 in three games against the Pawtucket Red Sox and carried a 51-game triple-slash line of .253/.300/.349 with two home runs and 14 RBI into Friday.
“Offensively, I’m not where I want to be, but I’m getting by. I’m working hard and grinding through these at-bats. I’m confident I’ll get to where I want to be and things will improve,” Williams said. “I’m here working hard and trying to get to the majors.”
Switching from the Yankees to another MLB club seemed inevitable after New York removed Williams from the 40-man roster last summer. On November 6, he elected free agency. Just over two weeks later, he signed a deal with Cincinnati that included an invitation to major-league spring training. The Red Sox did express interest, though the team’s offer to Williams did not include an invite to big-league camp.
“It’s definitely a fresh start. Sometimes in life, people need fresh starts. At the end of the day, the game is still the same. I’m still in baseball and playing between the white lines,” Williams said. “With free agency, I wanted to be patient but also see what my options were.”
Williams had a respectable spring training for the Reds, hitting .270 in 21 games. He suffered a scare during a Cactus League game when a foul ball came whizzing into the dugout and caught Williams in the chin. Six stitches later, he was pronounced good to go and was in the Reds’ lineup the very next day.
“I thought I had a good opportunity to make the team out of spring training. That’s what I was hoping for,” Williams said.
Putting that pursuit aside for a moment, Williams talked about being around a new set of coaches and teammates after spending nearly a decade with a team where everything had to feel like second nature given his lengthy tenure with the Yankees. His answer suggested that fitting in hasn’t been an issue.
“It’s not too difficult to come out and meet guys who love being in baseball and love talking about the game,” he said.
If there’s one plus to still playing Triple-A baseball in the International League, it’s that Williams is still afforded the chance to play games in the city he grew up in before moving to Florida as a teenager. During this interview, he looked out at the berm located behind the outfield fence at McCoy Stadium and spoke about the days he spent running around out there as a youngster. He also mentioned the irony of signing baseball cards from fans who tie string to a bucket and drop it down, for he used to fish for autographs in a similar fashion when he came to McCoy.
A strong turnout of family and friends waited for him after each Louisville-Pawtucket game, including his mother Colleen. After one of the games, the topic of getting drafted in 2010 was broached.
“It’s pretty crazy when you think about it,” Williams said.
From prospect status, to making his MLB debut, to finding a new lease on his baseball life with the Reds, Williams believes he’s matured to the point where he can deal with the corresponding highs and lows. He called this week one of homecomings, as in plural. After Pawtucket, Louisville was off to Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre for a weekend series. Scranton, of course, is the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate.
“It’s hard to reach the majors and even harder to stick up there, but that’s why I love the game. Every day, it’s going to push you in a new direction and challenge you in a different way or form,” Williams said. “This game will definitely make you mature and humble you as well. It’s a game built on failure and you’re going to fail more often than not.”
Stay tuned to see if the Reds will have a spot for Williams, who has enough Triple-A seasoning under his belt to know that his job status can change as quickly as a finger snap.
“The ultimate result is that I’m one phone call away. I’m extremely fortunate to be in this position. It could be right now, next month, two months, or in September,” he said. “Be myself and things will be fine.”