Carson Williams

Williams has all the tools except the most important tool (hit), but he may be able to make enough contact to still make it as an everyday shortstop in the Willy Adames mold. An athletic 6-foot-1, 180 pounds, Williams is a plus defensive shortstop with above-average speed and a 70-grade arm. After hitting 19 home runs in 113 games in his full-season debut as a 19-year-old, Williams hit 23 homers in just 105 games at High-A before getting bumped to Double-A and Triple-A to finish out the season (since those leagues had longer seasons). He'll head back to Double-A this year, and he'll be promoted as quickly as his hit tool warrants. The Wander Franco situation is difficult to project, but unlike Taylor Walls and Osleives Basabe (not enough offense) or Junior Caminero (not enough range), Williams is a no-doubt everyday shortstop as long as he can keep the strikeout rate in the 25-30 percent range. He has a 31.6 percent strikeout rate for his career and had a 31.4 percent strikeout rate in 2023, so he has plenty of work still to do. Read Past Outlooks