Baltimore Orioles Bring In Former Top Prospect Outfielder

The Baltimore Orioles have reportedly brought in an outfielder with major league experience.

After a full day of Opening Day baseball across the country, fans of the Baltimore Orioles will have a full off day on Friday to sit and stew over what we watched on Thursday against the New York Yankees. In case you somehow missed yesterday’s festivities, the Orioles dropped their first Opening Day game since the 2010 season.

In the meantime, general manager Mike Elias has continued to adjust his minor league rosters ahead of next week’s start to the minor league baseball season, including bringing in former Cincinnati Reds outfielder Mason Williams.

Williams was released by the Reds in a late round of spring training cuts after spending one season in the Cincinnati organization.

Originally drafted in the fourth round of the 2010 draft by the New York Yankees, the 27-year-old left-handed hitting outfielder slashed .280/.341/.418 in AAA before appearing in 57 games at the big league level with the Reds. Used as mainly as a reserve outfielder, Williams hit .293 with a .331 OBP and two home runs in 123 at-bats.

Back in 2013, Williams was the second-ranked prospect in the New York Yankees’ organization, behind only catcher Gary Sanchez. His MLB Pipeline scouting report included phrasing such as “one of the more intriguing prospects in baseball” and “has the chance to be an elite-level player.”

Williams was a hot prospect out of the gate, hitting .349 in his first full season in Low-A ball and .298 across full-season and High-A ball in 2012. Since finding early success as a highly-rated prospect, Williams has been inconsistent at the plate and lost the shine and excitement that followed his early career.

Concerns about his work ethic and demeanor on the field have seemed to subside over the years, with a young Mason Williams reportedly refusing to run out flyballs and often finding himself receiving additional addition by the coaching staff to maintain his composure on the field (Mark Newman, Fangraphs).

What Mason Williams brings to the Baltimore Orioles.

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Williams can play all three outfield spots, was highly-touted for his abilities in centerfield as a young prospect, has a bit of speed left in the tank, and will now reportedly head to AAA Norfolk as a depth option for the Orioles.

Mike Elias wants his prospects to “graduate” from the minor leagues before earning big league playing time, so a player like Williams in the upper minors could see major league playing time with any sort of injury.

The major league outfield currently consists of Trey Mancini (who will see time at DH and first base with Mark Trumbo out and Chris Davis set to sit against top pitchers), Cedric Mullins, Joey Rickard, and Dwight Smith Jr. Drew Jackson is also an option, however, if Rickard struggles or any of these outfielders are forced to miss extended time, Mason Williams will be the option.

In other transaction news, the Baltimore Orioles recently released minor leaguer pitchers DJ Snelten and Matthew Grimes. We will have full breakdowns of the minor league rosters once they are officially released.