Mason Williams raised a lot of eyebrows last year with his performance with the Staten Island Yankees, and he’s rocketed up the prospect rankings this winter, appearing on all three major top 100 lists, and being ranked in the top 40 by ESPN’s Keith Law. That’s high praise for a youngster like Williams, but it certainly seems merited, as Williams displays solid hit and defense tools along with an above average arm and plus-plus speed. In fact, the only tool that appears to be in question in Williams’ arsenal is his power, and the Yankees’ prized outfield prospect is intent on making sure that isn’t a problem.
“They told us not to even bring gloves, bats, or cleats,” Williams said of the offseason training regimen he participated in at the Yankees’ complex in Tampa. “After six weeks I had probably gained 10 to 15 pounds.” Williams says he currently weighs about 185 pounds which, as Mark Feinsand notes, is a big increase from the 160 pounds he tipped the scales at last spring.
I ranked Williams third in my top 30 prospect list, which was mostly a function of his age/level and questions about his ability to hit for power. If, however, Williams puts on the muscle and develops the sort of power that makes ~20 home runs a realistic big league ceiling for him, there’s not much keeping him away from the top spot on the list, and the potential for bona fide superstardom in the big leagues.
Hopefully he is exaggerating because gaining 15 pounds in 6 weeks is going to be mostly fat unless he went through a growth spurt or is using steroids. It's good to see that the team is taking an active role in his workouts and that he seems committed, though. There's plenty of time for him to get stronger.
He's only 19 years old, so t's not inconceivable that six weeks of hard workouts and proper nutrition under the guidance of professional strength and conditioning coaches could pack on the muscle.