Austen Williams

Austen Williams
Washington Nationals – No. 53
Pitcher
Born: (1992-12-19) December 19, 1992
Fort Worth, Texas
Bats: Right Throws: Right
MLB debut
September 2, 2018, for the Washington Nationals
MLB statistics
(through 2018 season)
Win–loss record 0–1
Earned run average 5.59
Strikeouts 8
Teams

Austen Thomas Williams (born December 19, 1992) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Career

Williams originally hoped to attend Texas Tech University like his father, Buddy, but Texas Tech passed him over for its baseball program due to his lower than average fastball velocity. He ended up pitching for the Bobcats at Texas State University, where he worked as a starting pitcher. Williams was drafted in the 2014 Major League Baseball draft by the Nationals, a sixth-round pick.[1] After his first full professional season in 2015, in which he posted a 2.58 ERA across the Class-A Hagerstown Suns and High-A Potomac Nationals, the Nationals honored Williams with their organizational Bob Boone Award for leadership, professionalism and work ethic.[2]

Williams struggled in 2016 and 2017, including in the Arizona Fall League, where he pitched for the Mesa Solar Sox.[3] Moved from the rotation into the bullpen as a multi-inning reliever in 2018, Williams prospered for the Class-AA Harrisburg Senators, being named an Eastern League All-Star[4] and earning a promotion by August to the Class-AAA Syracuse Chiefs for the first time.[5]

After Williams posted a 1.19 ERA across 68 innings for Class-AA Harrisburg and Class-AAA Syracuse, the Nationals selected Williams' contract on September 1, 2018,[6] adding him to the major league pitching staff following a trade that sent Gio González to the Milwaukee Brewers.[7] He made his major league debut the next day, striking out two Brewers in two relief innings.[8]

Pitching style

On the mound, Williams employs a three-pitch mix, with a sinking fastball that tops out around 96 miles per hour (154 km/h), a breaking ball variously described as a curveball or a slider, and a changeup.[9][10] Since moving to the bullpen after the 2017 season, Williams has focused more on a fastball-slider combination while building his velocity.[9]

References

  1. ↑ Williams, Ishmael (June 25, 2014). "Beyond the Game: Austen Williams". The University Star. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  2. ↑ Wagner, James (September 26, 2015). "Jose Marmolejos, Austin Voth and Austen Williams earn Nationals minor league awards". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  3. ↑ Kerr, Byron (January 12, 2018). "Nats prospects spotlight: Bacus, Williams and Gushue". MASN Sports. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  4. ↑ McInturff, John (July 9, 2018). "Washington Nationals' prospects; Eastern League All-Stars; Harrisburg Senators' Taylor Gushue; Kyle McGowin + more..." Federal Baseball. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Sanchez's single leads Syracuse to 6-3 win over Rochester". TDN.com. August 27, 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Nationals recall Pedro Severino and select Austen Williams". MASN Sports. September 1, 2018. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
  7. ↑ Dougherty, Jesse (September 1, 2018). "With Gio Gonzalez gone, what's next for the Nationals' starting rotation?". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
  8. ↑ Zuckerman, Mark (September 2, 2018). "Fedde to start Tuesday, Ross coming soon (Nats down 9-4)". MASN Sports. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  9. 1 2 Kerzel, Pete (September 1, 2018). "Hellickson progresses to throwing curveballs (plus other notes)". MASN Sports. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
  10. ↑ DeMuro, Bobby (November 30, 2017). "Washington Nationals RHP Austen Williams Scouting Report, 2017". BaseballCensus. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
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