BIOGRAPHY
Nick Williams was born September 8, 1993, in Galveston, Texas. He is an outfielder in the MLB.
Williams was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the second round of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft out of high school. He had committed to Texas A&M University, but signed with the Rangers for a $500,000 signing bonus.
He made his professional debut in 2012 with the Arizona League Rangers, hitting .313/.375/.448 with two home runs in 201 at bats over 48 games. He played the 2013 season with the Hickory Crawdads. He played in 95 games during the season, hitting .293/.337/.543 with 17 home runs, 15 walks, and 110 strikeouts over 376 at bats.
Prior to the 2014 season, Williams was ranked by Baseball America as the Rangers fourth-best prospect, and the 97th-best overall in baseball. Playing for three minor league teams in 2014, he hit .283 with 22 walks and 140 strikeouts in 452 at bats. After the season he played for the Surprise Saguaros in the Arizona Fall League, and hit .277 with 1 walk and 32 strikeouts in 112 at bats.
The Phillies promoted Williams to the major leagues on June 30, 2017, and Williams made his MLB debut that night. On July 9, Williams hit his first MLB home run off of Trevor Cahill of the Padres. Nine days later, on July 18 Williams hit his first career grand slam against the Brewers. As to his defense in the outfield and baserunning, beat writer Matt Gelb wrote in the Philadelphia Inquirer: "Progress is needed on defense and the bases. Williams has overcome bad reads in the outfield with his speed. But he’s shown cracks there. And, as a baserunner, Williams has committed mental mistakes. His instincts are not the sharpest. Sometimes, raw talent can rise above that." He batted .288/.338/.473 for the 2017 season with the Phillies with 12 home runs, one stolen base, and 55 RBIs, and walked 20 times while striking out 97 times in 313 at bats.
