Meet a Prospect: Dom Thompson-Williams

Nick Nelson is not the only Yankees draftee to recently sign with the club, the team also signed their fifth round pick as well this week. Dom Thompson was drafted 286^th overall by the New York Yankees out of the University of South Carolina and will soon be making his professional debut with the club, let’s meet him.

This is Meet a Prospect: The Dom Thompson-Williams Edition. Williams was a center fielder with the Gamecocks and was the ninth best player in the state of South Carolina at the time of his drafting. Baseball America had Thompson-Williams ranked 286^th overall due to concerns about whether his bat can carry him to the next level of competition. Williams is a left-handed batter and a speedy center fielder but his bat may make him more of the Chris Young or Aaron Hicks type (as they are today) and less of an ideal starter for most teams.

Obviously a lot can change between now and whenever Williams may potentially be knocking on the door to the Bronx and it’s worth mentioning that the Yankees have had some success with picks that no one really batted at eye at before, especially in the outfield. See Dustin Fowler as a recent example of this not to compare the two players whatsoever. Most prospects can hit a fastball and it’s whether they can hit the breaking stuff that defines them but the complete opposite is the case for Williams who has shown an ability to hit offspeed pitches while it’s the fastball that gives him fits, especially the higher velocity fastballs that you see all around the league today.

In 2016 Williams posted a .329/.430/.529 triple slash with seven home runs and 17 stolen bases even with those concerns about his bat speed. If the Yankees can make a slight mechanical or swing adjustment to give him another half second on his bat speed the Yankees may have one of the steals of the drafts on their hands with this fifth round pick. If not he may be out of the organization in four-to-five years, prospects are fickle creatures.

Williams is in the fold after signing a below slot deal that also paves the way for a potential signing of Blake Rutherford, Nick Solak, Nolan Martinez or all of the above. Welcome to the team Dom and welcome to the family!