Phillies rookie Nick Williams being overlooked as a stable building block
As the Phillies watch their first baseman rookie soar into stardom, their young outfielder is creeping onto the scene as another building block.
Nick Williams was the hottest Phillies news in a dead season — until Rhys Hoskins stepped into Citizens Bank Park.
Williams’ debut has been overshadowed, but it should not go unnoticed. He hasn’t put up quite the power performance as his colleague, but his 10 home runs in 73 games is still impressive. Williams has proven to be a reliable fielder at this point, mirroring with his performance at the plate.
He will start to blossom as a key piece in this lineup. A lefty power bat near the top of the lineup will prove to be complementary to Hoskins. J.P. Crawford‘s good start gives the Phillies a promising top half of the lineup. Odubel Herrera, Crawford, Aaron Altherr, Rhys Hoskins, and Williams gives Philadelphia one of the most stable top half of the lineup since their golden era that started a decade ago.
It’s not too farfetched to pin Williams as the organization’s best outfield prospect, even with power bat Dylan Cozens seemingly coming around in Lehigh Valley, and Mickey Moniak being the team’s top pick last year.
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With his baserunning still not up to par with expectations, there is definite room for improvement. Which makes his potential terrifying. The Phillies could be on the verge of a huge turnaround, and Williams will be a big reason why.
Of course, the strikeouts will be a problem. What’s currently blemishing his .286 average is his strikeout total. 86 strikeouts in 302 plate appearances isn’t horrible, per say. The Phillies will be monitoring the strikeouts, as his 90 in AAA Lehigh Valley do add to the concern. Not to nitpick on a great debut, however.
The question of whether Nick Williams will be apart of the core moving forward or part of a trade package has been answered. Williams is here to stay. But his uprise has brought the Phillies full circle.
Now, the organization has the predicament of too much talent at similar positions. Williams has fortified his place, but what kind of return could the Phillies get in a package centered around Dylan Cozens or Altherr?
Nick Williams isn’t Rhys Hoskins, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been impressive. Hoskins has the stardom right now, but Williams will be the stable force. The Phillies have more than one building block currently in the majors, and Williams has proven his worth.