Jett Williams, the 20-year-old shortstop/centerfield prospect who flourished at three minor league stops last year, told reporters he is willing to play just about any position if it means getting called up.
“I don’t really care,” he said at spring training in Port St. Lucie. “Just whatever gets me to the big leagues the fastest. And I think that wherever they want to put me, I’ll play. If they want to put me at third, short, second, center, left. I’ll play anything as long as I’m in the big leagues the fastest.”
The Mets drafted Williams in the first round (14th overall) of the 2022 draft. He hit 13 home runs and stole 45 bases in 52 attempts in the minors last year while slashing .263/.425/.451 with an .876 OPS. He said one of the biggest adjustments he had to make was the longer schedule, as he appeared in 123 games combined with Single-A St. Lucie, High-A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton after only playing about 50 games in his senior year of high school in Heath, Texas. He is now a consensus top 100 prospect, ranking as high as No. 23 by Baseball Prospectus.
Jett Williams, Photo by Bronson Harris of the Binghamton Rumble Ponies
“Honestly, I had a slow start to the year,” Williams said. “But you know, I think you play six, seven, eight months. Just don’t get down on yourself. There’s a lot of baseball to play.”
Williams noted that remaining healthy, preventing injuries, and seeking out ways to improve are major focuses for him heading into the 2024 season. Like Mark Vientos and Brett Baty, Williams recently worked out with Mets star shortstop Francisco Lindor.
“I think the biggest thing, honestly, just staying healthy the whole year and not getting hurt,” he said. “And that’s kinda how you get to move levels is staying on the field and not getting hurt. I think that’s kinda the biggest takeaway. Just learning how to take care of your body, learning the little things to do, always asking questions and asking anyway to get better.”
Williams stated that he spent the offseason working on his bat speed, exit velocity to the opposite field and staying low at shortstop.
“Just a little exit velo and bat speed, and just some shortstop things,” he said. “I think I hit to all parts of the field pretty well — just wanting to increase the exit velo to the opposite field. And then just staying low at shortstop and working on throwing mechanics.”
Williams’ eagerness to begin the season was also clear as he mentioned that he was grateful for the opportunity to be a part of major league spring training and that he was looking forward to parlaying that experience into another productive campaign.
“Just very grateful for the opportunity to be in big league spring training after having a great year,” he said. “Put that behind you and just kinda try to get that momentum to this year. Just have a great season.”
