LA Angels Top Prospect Countdown: #14 Nonie Williams
The LA Angels have one of the worst farm systems in baseball. However, they have a good mix of prospects who will help soon and some with star potential down the road. In this series, we will evaluate each of the Angels Top 30 prospects. Today, it’s shortstop Nonie Williams.
The LA Angels have had a focus on athletic, middle-of-the-field players with potential on offense in recent drafts. Switch-hitting shortstop Nonie Williams fits that description perfectly, and that is why the Angels drafted him in the third round of the 2016 Amateur Draft.
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Williams was homeschooled throughout high school, but took a class at a local high school and played his baseball there. The Angels gave him a $300,000 bonus to make sure he would commit to them instead of pursuing a collegiate career.
Williams is an extremely promising player. He has an athletic frame, standing at 6’2” and weighing 200 pounds. He is fast for his size, and is a possible future center fielder. This is due to his great speed and the routes he takes to the ball. While those are both great to have at shortstop, he also boasts a great arm that makes center field an even better fit.
On offense, Williams in relatively new to left-handed hitting. When batting from the right side, his swing shows a lot of raw power and line drive ability thanks to the long stride he takes. From the left, his swing will produce more contact than power because of how quick and short it is.
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His first season was not one for the record books. In 38 games, Williams hit .244 with 11 RBI’s in his first taste of Rookie ball. However, Williams is still extremely raw and only 18 years old. It is also common for high school players to struggle in their first professional season.
Williams has had a lot of time to work on his swing and approach at the plate over the past year. Any improvement during this year’s Arizona Fall League season will be an encouraging sign for the young stud.
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Williams has a long road ahead of him before he reaches the big leagues. He needs to turn potential into development. Williams has all the tools to do this, and the wait for Williams will most likely be worth it for Angels fans. He could be reaching The Show in 2020, and if not then a 2021 Spring Training invite is likely.