Alika
Williams

2020 DRAFT: An athletic, wiry middle infielder at 6-foot-2, 175 pounds, Williams' body type is reminiscent of former Texas A&M star Braden Shewmake (1st round pick by Atlanta in 2019). Offensively, Williams shows a good approach at the plate, puts the bat on the ball and uses all fields. His swing can get disconnected at times and he will drift to the ball, which adds some length to his swing. However, he uses his hands well and he can hit a fastball. And, if you can hit a fastball, you have a chance. With fair bat speed, power is not his game, but his ability to get on base and hit for average should carry him into an everyday MLB role on the dirt. His average exit velo on batted balls in 2020 was 90.2 mph with a high of 104.4. Williams is an above average-to-plus runner underway and has good instincts on the basepaths. He runs in the 4.20-4.25 range down the line from the right side. Defensively, he is blessed with really good, soft hands and good actions with a plus arm from shortstop. He shows excellent body control and the ability to throw from all angles. Also has a high baseball IQ and instincts for the game. He's a near ready major league shortstop with smooth feet, hands and dependable glovework. The sum of his game is greater than the parts with his top tool on the defensive side of the ball. Williams is one of the top three draft-eligible college shortstops for the 2020 draft and an early round candidate.

2/15/20: Willams went hitless in 14 plate appearances over the weekend, however he walked seven times and did not strikeout. The sum of his game is greater than the parts with his top tool on the defensive side of the ball. He’s a near ready Major League shortstop with smooth feet, hands and dependable glovework. In the batter’s box he can hit a fastball, and if you can hit a fastball, you have a chance. He has a good approach at the plate, puts the bat on the ball and uses all fields. With fair bat speed power is not his game, but his ability to get on base and hit for average should carry him into an everyday MLB role on the dirt. Williams is one of the top draft-eligible college shortstops for the 2020 draft and a good year with the bat could push him into the back end of Day One this June.

7/12/19: Athletic, wiry built middle infielder at six-foot-two, 170 pounds. Body type reminds me of Braden Shewmake (1st round, 21st overall by Atlanta in 2019). Offensively, Williams showed a good approach at the plate, put the bat on the ball and used all fields. From an open stance his swing got long and disconnected at times with his hands too far out front. He also tended to drift to the ball, which added some length to his swing. But he used his hands well, knowing when to pull them in closer to his body to get the barrel to the ball. He turned around a 96 mph inside fastball for a base hit through the 6-hole. His present marginal bat speed produced below average raw power. After walking during his second at-bat of the opening scrimmage, Williams showed his base running acumen with a pair of stolen bases, then scored from third base on a ground ball with the infield in. A plus runner underway, he ran a 4.26 and  4.19 down the line from the right side. He is blessed with really good, soft hands and good actions with an average arm from shortstop. Showed excellent body control and the ability to throw from all angles. Also has a high baseball IQ and instincts for the game. As one of the top draft-eligible college shortstops for the 2020 draft, Williams could push his way into the back of Day One next June. (Seifert)

10/15/18: Athletic, wiry built middle infielder at six-foot-two, 170 pounds. Offensively, showed a good approach and put the bat on the ball. Below average raw power. Drifts a bit, which adds some length to his swing. Soft hands, good actions with an average arm from shortstop. Top 5 round follow for 2020. (Seifert)