With the Eastern League playoffs just around the corner, the Binghamton Mets received some reinforcements on Monday: SS/CF prospect Jett Williams was promoted to the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies.

Williams started the year in Low-A with the St. Lucie Mets where he played 79 games before being promoted to Brooklyn, where he played 36 games. He’s played this entire season at just 19 years old.

Jett Williams. Photos by Matthew Kipp of Brooklyn Cyclones

During his stint with St. Lucie, Williams impressed with a line of .249/.422/.410 with 32 stolen bases. Williams’ .422 on-base percentage ranked best of any player with at least 200 at-bats. Additionally, his 32 stolen bases ranked ninth in the FSL, and was second in the league amongst players with under 300 at-bats.

After his move from St. Lucie to Brooklyn, Williams turned on the jets. Across 36 games for the Cyclones, Williams hit .299/.451/.567 with 18 extra-base hits and 12 stolen bases. For 2023 overall, Jett put up an impressive .266/.431/.461 with 44 stolen bags, and 42 extra-base hits, 13 of which were homers. Williams started 88 games at shortstop, 19 in center field, and eight at DH.

How Does He Project?

Williams’ profile is a unique one. Drafted out of Texas, Williams was an undersized, eye-first shortstop with the athleticism and room to grow into power while also being a threat on the base paths. Williams’ eye exceeded off the bat, and his career OBP now sits at an incredibly impressive .426.

For his career, Williams has 106 walks to 114 strikeouts. In 2023, Williams walked 102 times and sat down 108, with his rate sitting at roughly 20% for both strikeouts and walks. Williams’ 100 walks made him only the second teenager since 2005 (Pirates’ Termarr Johnson, 2023) to record at least 100 walks in a minor-league season.

So what clicked in Brooklyn? While he struck out a bit less, it was his power that took a large leap forward, recording just six fewer base hits in less than half the games he played in St. Lucie.

While Williams’ speed always helps in the doubles and triples department, the 19-year-old started to hit the ball over the field much more often in Brooklyn. Williams hit six homers during his time in St. Lucie, which ended up a respectable mark for the 5’7 shortstop. However, once he got to Brooklyn, his power turned a new page. He slugged seven homers in just 36 games, which put him at a mark of one homer every 18.1 at-bats, which demolished his mark of one homer every 43.5 at-bats for St. Lucie.

What’s Next?

The next logical step for Williams would be growing into his frame, despite his smaller stature. Williams still has the potential for decent power, with the chance to hit around 20 homers during his prime years. Williams slugged 13 this year, but his pace picked up at an incredible rate down the stretch, making his power an important aspect of his game to keep an eye on heading into the fall. If Williams can continue to produce more power and start to possess 20-homer power, Williams will continue to soar on his ride to Queens.

As was mentioned before, Williams played exclusively shortstop and center field in the minors this year, which means any chance of him playing second or third base is still further down the road. Williams racked up 22 errors at shortstop this year, but a defender with the range that he possesses will tend to tally up errors on plays that they might get a glove on and miss, but other shortstops can’t even get to.

The progression from Williams did not go unnoticed. He made Top 50 prospect lists from the likes of ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel (45), The Athletic’s Jim Bowden (37). Williams was moved up to MLB Pipeline’s 78th spot at their midseason ranking. He entered 2023 as Baseball Prospectus’ 75th-ranked prospect, and Baseball America’s 98th-ranked prospect–rankings that are sure to only improve as the fall progresses.

Jett Williams is trying to put the finishing touches on an incredible 2023 campaign. As he joins the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, he looks to help a team that is already deep with talent, with the likes of Drew Gilbert, Luisangel Acuña, Christian Scott, and Blade Tidwell, amongst others.

Binghamton enters the playoffs as one of the most prospect-heavy rosters in recent Mets memory. They have a chance to bring home their first Eastern League title since the 2004 Binghamton Mets team, a team that included David Wright, Angel Pagan, Scott Kazmir, and Jose Reyes.