The 2023 season was a year in which the New York Mets farm system got stronger as the season went along due to midseason trades and surprising breakout performances. One player was able to stand out amongst the pack and it ended up being shortstop/center fielder Jett Williams.
During this past season, Williams was able to show off his speed once he got on base, which happened at a fairly high rate. In 121 games across three levels, the 20-year-old had a slash line of .263/.425/.451 with 13 home runs, 55 RBIs, 45 stolen bases, 104 walks, and a .876 OPS. It led him to being our fourth ranked prospect in the organization.
The 14th pick in the 2022 MLB Draft began his first professional season at Low-A St. Lucie. While he only had one home run in the first month of the year, the plate discipline was there from day one as he had just as many walks as strikeouts (15). This season, Williams saw 4.28 pitches per plate appearance and when he did put the ball in play, he had a BABIP of .335.
After a rough month of May (.175/.351/.228 in 18 games), Williams got hot in June as he hit three home runs and drove in 13 runs. He eneded up ending the month driving in at least one run in four of his last five games and he drew at least one walk in five of the last six contests.
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As Williams was trying to find it at the plate, he was learning a new position. Since the Mets have a lot of depth in the infield in the organization, St. Lucie tried him out in center field. In his limited time out there (21 games), he did not make a single error and he had a couple of assists as well.
In July, Williams ended his Low-A time on a great note as he posted an on-base percentage of ,.442 in 73 at-bats. It led him to his promotion to High-A Brooklyn, where he drove in a run in his first South Atlantic League game. Eight days later, he would hit his first home run with the Cyclones, the first of five home runs that month.
Mets CF/SS prospect Jett Williams hit his 6th home run of the season today for the St. Lucie Mets.
Also picked up his Mets minor league-leading 69th walk.
— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) July 30, 2023
During his time with the Cyclones, Williams had more walks (33) than strikeouts (32) and he had the third-most walks on the team despite only appearing in 36 games. In those 36 games, he posted a 1.018 OPS, hit seven home runs, and drove in 18 runs.
The fast success in Brooklyn led to one more promotion for Williams as he moved up to Double-A Binghamton. He helped the Rumble Ponies in the postseason as his first Double-A home run came in the team’s semifinal series against Somerset.
Jett Williams – who is 19 years old – just launched his first career Double-A home run in Game 1 of Binghamton’s playoff series.
It was a three-run shot that extended the Rumble Ponies’ lead to 6-1. #Mets pic.twitter.com/FPmJUBuYPB
— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) September 19, 2023
As Williams heads into his prep for the 2024 season, the sky is the limit for the player that turns 21 on November 3. He already has a high goal set for himself when he said in September that his goal was to be in the big leagues by the end of next season during an interview with Steve Gelbs.
Even though Williams may not (yet) be the number one prospect in the system, he is clearly on the rise with a strong all-around game and his ability to play multiple positions. If his speed on the bases duplicates his rise up the system, he will be at Citi Field in the not too distant future.
