The Reds have claimed outfielder Nick Williams off waivers from the Phillies, as first reported by Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports and confirmed by Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Williams will join his new club at the Reds’ alternate training location.
Williams, who played in 140 games for the Phillies just two years ago, has quickly been pushed out of favor in Philadelphia, thanks in part to the additions of Bryce Harper and Andrew McCutchen. Last year, he made just 112 plate appearances for the Phillies and largely failed to deliver, compiling a disappointing .151/.196/.245 batting line.
Nonetheless, Williams managed solid production in his first two big-league seasons: Between 2018 and 2019 (which he played at ages 23 and 24), he hit 29 home runs in 720 at-bats, posting a .269/.330/.446 slash line. He’s not far removed from that encouraging start to his career, and could certainly benefit from an expanded role with a new team.
Unfortunately, though, there’s no guarantee that such an opportunity will come in Cincinnati. As mentioned, he’ll begin his Reds career at the alternate training site and serve in a depth role, but with several existing corner outfield options, playing time might be scarce for Williams. Between Nicholas Castellanos, Jesse Winker, Aristides Aquino, and others, it’s already a crowded mix, so we’ll have to wait and see just how Williams fits into the picture in his new environment.
wish ya luck Nick. hope you can escape the logjam.
Man… Marlins, Pirates, and co. passed on him? There’s still a lot of potential in that bat.
Ticked that the Bucs passed.
Yeah i figured they’d put in a claim. maybe too close to arbitration.
They can’t afford him. Only owners cheaper than the Ricketts.
Marlins already have similar hitting profiles in Brinson and Harrison (with better defense?)..
Both Marlins outfielders are better defensively then him.
From what I grasped from his baseballsavant(statcast) page, Williams outfield reaction or “jump” sat in the 5th percentile or worst in both of his full seasons.
He’s essentially got the potential to hit like a tank, while already possessing the speed of it when on the field.
If the DH rule remains a rule in the NL past this season, then Williams has a bigger window of opportunity.
That is, if he can make the most of it in the now before it disappears entirely.
Pirates and mariners are on drugs for passing
Mariners are in the other league. waived players go through their original league first.
Great point I originally thought it was worst record
Of all the Phillies DFA. I think he has the best chance of getting back at them for letting him go.
I don’t. While he didn’t have many chances in the last few years, he had a ton before that. His mediocre hitting doesn’t make up for his below average defense. I hope he proves me wrong because I like the guy, but he’s just another Phillies’ bust.
He can hit. Nick can hit. I think phillies just don’t let him take off after his solid debut. Now he does struggle with breaking balls(most young hitters do). I think we better approach at the plate he could take off.
Can he though? He’s looked lost at the plate the last few years. Hopefully a change of scenery helps, but if he could hit, he’d still be in Philly.
Phillies only gave him 903 plate appearances to prove what he is capable of.
Just what the Reds need. Another OF.
ya have to wonder if a trade is in order at the deadline. swap an OF for something of need.
Depends on Senzel. Is he the Covid player? Is he gone just a few days or longer? Can the new nick play center?
To answer you last question: No.
If Senzel is out you’d think Akiyama or Jankowski can fill CF defensively.
Who knows what the Reds are thinking.
Shogo can do center. I think they want more bat than Jankowski can give. And Williams bats left. But, hopefully Senzel will be back when the Reds can play on Monday. Fingers crossed.
It’s all about depth. Nick Williams can be controlled beyond this season. Nick Castellanos can, and probably will, opt out after this season. Winker, Senzel, Shogo seems the 2021 outfield. Some combination of Jankowski, Ervin, Williams, and maybe one or two others will be the reserves. A little bit of competition never hurts.
No way Castellanos opts out. He’s already slumping after a hot start, and no one is gonna beat 3/48 or whatever is left on his deal.
Even if he doesn’t opt out after 2020, he still can opt out after 2021. Everybody slumps, but I think after his hot start in addition to his Cubs stint will definitely get him a bigger deal than 3/48. Especially if the NL DH sticks around.
Dick Williams claims Nick Williams.
Man needed to play everyday. Should’ve dumped Hoskins but they’ll give him an albatross of a contract
Hoskins listened too much to Kaplan and was thinking too much.
He is a natural hitter who just needs to get his confidence back.
I think that they also overvalue his on base skills as power hitters are paid to knock in runs not score them.
The Pirates would have claimed him but the cost to stitch new numbers onto an old Trevor Williams jersey was not in the budget.
Shame on you Josh!
What did the Pirates have to lose in claiming this guy?
He needs a new team and a new start and he would eventually make a good fourth outfielder.
The Pirates already have 15 4th out fielders.
Maybe so but none of them are any good.
Dyson and Heredia are soon gone and Tucker will be playing shortstop.
Ozuna will be a corner utilityman,and Gonzalez,especially if he hits like he is now,will be the super utility player.
They will trade Frazier.
Williams was highly touted and the key to the Hamels deal.He is also still young.For whatever reason him and Altherr did not develop with the Phillies.
A lot of people surprised he made it to the Reds but he really isn’t a big loss. His glove is kind of awful and when you combine it with a league average bat he just isn’t very valuable. Ontop of that, he’s a right fielder, a position that usually will see an uptick in production with the bat.
That very well may be all true but he is still young and sometimes these guys blossom with a change in scenery.Two teams thought that he had a bright future and maybe all he needs is another decent chance.
Look at the Pirates roster.
Do you really think that they have anything to lose?
Pirates want the PR spin for #1 overall Pick in 2021 Draft. Only to take the 10th rated player on the cheap. The funny thing, MLB wouldn’t question the BS the Pirates ownership keeps dishing out about fielding a championship Caliber Team. Ha Ha. Big laugh!
The reds are just a mess. Bad manager, bad Gm, Bad owner. They never intended to keep everyone they signed . Covid just happened to throw a monkey wrench into plans. Way too many outfielders. Jankowski shouldn’t even be here as well as Davidson. Aquino set major league records but was told two scrubs were better than him. Had a chance to get Lindor, but they didn’t want to give up senzel. Nothing ever works out. That dodger trade last year did nothing but we gave up big prospects for that one. They thought David bell was better than joe girardi and john Ferrell . Just a dazed and confused organization.
Davidson is not a outfielder, he is a corner infielder. Jankowski is there because he can play center and Aquino is a corner OF. Neither of them is th reason Aquino is not there. Shogo, Winker, and Castellanos are the reasons Aquino is not there. Aquino is nothing but the latest version of Chris Shelton. Had a good month and will probably never come close to it for the rest of his career.
That being said, the Reds are a mess as far as how they built their team. And David Bell is probably the worst field manager in the game today.
Seems like a talented bat. But his reputation is that he has a bit of an attitude problem, and he did not get along with Kapler or Girardi. Change of scenery hopefully will solve the problem, because, again, I think this kid can hit.