Mac Williamson

Williamson was a sleeper last spring after working with noted swing doctor Doug Latta in the offseason. The tutelage paid off as Williamson was summoned after just 11 games after slashing .487/.600/1.026. He continued mashing, hitting safely in his first five games with the Giants, including bashing three homers. Then disaster struck as he was concussed after crashing into an outfield wall. Williamson was slow to recover, eventually returning in late May. Williamson never got it going again, posting a .571 OPS in 23 games before being demoted to Triple-A in late June. He stayed on the farm the rest of the season and continued to slump, recording a .623 OPS his second stint with the Grizzlies. He was placed on the minor-league DL in mid-August with symptoms related to his April concussion. If Williamson is recovered in the spring, he'll again be a candidate for cheap power.

Just as he did in 2016, Williamson split time between Triple-A and the majors throughout the 2017 campaign. The 27-year-old also wound up producing relatively similar results compared with the previous two seasons. His power is his biggest calling card, as he blasted 14 homers in the minors and three in the majors, all while driving in 56 runs between the two levels. He continues to struggle to make contact, however, as his 34.2 percent strikeout rate suggests. His saving grace in 2016 was a high walk rate, but Williamson even regressed in that category. Granted, he did produce an .870 OPS in 16 games following a September callup, but the same flaws continue to haunt him year after year. He could work his way into a starting role with a strong spring training barring the addition of adequate upgrades to the depth chart, but it will be hard for Williamson to maintain a prominent role in the Giants' lineup if he fails to adjust to big-league pitching.

Williamson started the year in the minors, slashing .269/.314/.495 in 54 games with Triple-A Sacramento. He was promoted to the majors a few times throughout the season, but he received the majority of his playing time in right field after Hunter Pence landed on the disabled list in June. Over that period of time, Williamson proved to be the type of player many had him pegged as; a powerful hitter who strikes out a lot. A 10.8 percent walk rate helped offset his high strikeout rate (27.6 percent), and his .188 isolated power rating was above the league average. He undoubtedly has the ability to hit 25-plus homers over the course of a full season, but he will need to cut down on his whiffs if he wants to get an everyday role in the majors, especially for a Giants team that has a station-to-station offensive approach. Even though there may be an opening in left field if the team doesn't bring Angel Pagan back, Williamson will likely serve as a fourth or fifth outfielder to begin the 2017 campaign.

Williamson returned from successful Tommy John surgery in 2015 - yes, hitters too can tear their UCLs -and he performed well at Double-A Richmond and Triple-A Sacramento before getting his first taste of major league action in September. He didn't fare well with the big club, slashing .219/.235/.281 in 34 plate appearances. While the results were poor for the 25-year-old outfielder, it wasn't that long ago when he had a 25-homer, 10-steal season with High-A San Jose, so there is hope that he can restore his status as one of the Giants' top offensive prospects. He will almost assuredly start the year in the minors, and a fast start could earn him a call up later in the season.

Last season was supposed to be Williamson’s chance to prove that his power explosion at High-A San Jose in 2013 was sustainable against better pitching. Instead he missed most of the season after needing Tommy John surgery in late April. Unlike Miguel Sano, whose pedigree kept him near the top of prospect rankings despite missing 2014 after tearing his UCL, Williamson will not necessarily be given the benefit of the doubt in the prospect community. The 24-year-old right fielder was selected out of college in the third round of the 2012 draft and turned heads in his first full season, slashing .292/.375/.504 with 25 home runs and 10 steals in 597 plate appearances in 2013. It is not clear exactly when he will be ready to return to game action in 2015, but if he finishes the year healthy and at Double-A, that would have to be considered a success.