I had some thoughts on Mason Williams in my Minor Developments piece over at Yahoo! this week, and while it hasn't run yet, here is what I had to say:
Yankees outfield prospect Mason Williams has been highly productive for Class-A Charleston, batting an impressive .306 with four homers and 16 steals. Williams have been making consistent hard contact to all fields, displaying the quick hands and bat speed that made him such a highly regarded prospect heading into the year. He'll never post huge power totals, but it wouldn't be unrealistic to see him develop 15-20 home run power. He's a great name to target in deep dynasty formats.
That is more geared toward a casual fan audience, so let's dig a little deeper here. Williams has been spraying laser beams all over the field this season, showing an advanced contact ability. Add in his 80 raw speed tool and developing power, and I think you have a player comparable to the Rays Desmond Jennings, who was a very similar prospect at this stage of his career. Personally, I'm happy he's hitting and healthy, which is much of the battle for developing young players. More after the jump...
John Sickels over at MinorLeagueBall.com broke down the Yankees draft briefly a few days ago. Here is what he had to say:New York Yankees:Ty Hensley (RHP, Oklahoma HS) could be a steal at 30th overall; I thought he could go 20 spots higher than that. Second-rounder Austin Aune (OF, Texas HS) has highly impressive raw tools but will have to be bought away from college football at Texas Christian. Nathan Mikolas (1B, Wisconsin HS, 3rd round) is a very promising cold-weather high school hitter. Cheap college picks dominated the rest of the class, with the power bat of Pete O'Brien (C, Miami, 2nd round) and the power arm of Corey Black (RHP, Faulkner, 4th round) standing out the most. Also watch LSU strike-throwing reliever Nick Goody (RHP, 6th round), Auburn inning-chewer Derek Varnadore (RHP, 9th round) and slugger Matt Snyder (1B, Mississippi, 10th round). Outfielder Vince Jackson (Georgia HS, 23rd round) has very impressive upside but big signability issues.
If Aune signs, he makes this draft much stronger for the Yankees. Vince Jackson is exactly the type of high upside hitter the Yankees needed to target on the final day, as he could be a great find if he signs. What are your thoughts on the Yankees draft? Mike Axisa over at River Ave Blues has a report on Tyler Austin, who was recently placed on the minor league disabled list:
In other news, OF Tyler Austin has been placed on the 7-day DL but confirmed (via Twitter) that he’s getting better and will return soon. Austin left last Thursday’s game with a bruised foot after a take-out slide at second base.
Before his injury, Austin was batting .330 with 14 homers and 50 RBI on the year, opening the eyes of many scouts and baseball pundits. Hopefully, he'll be back on the field shortly! Let's close by opening up the floor for discussion, on the topic of Yankee prospect surprises and disappointments. For me, Austin has been the biggest surprise with his power display and hitting prowess, while Dellin Betances has been my biggest disappointment due to wildness and continued poor mechanics. What prospects do you love/hate currently, Pinstripe Alley?