PORT ST. LUCIE — Jett Williams spent his time away from baseball final season to replicate on life.
For the primary summer season, he might keep in mind, Williams — the Mets’ prime place participant prospect — was separated from the sport he liked.
In June, he underwent a TFCC debridement on his proper wrist to restore broken ligaments and cartilage. The following two months concerned a tedious rehab.
The lesson he discovered?
“Just find stuff that you enjoy away from the field, too, because you never know — baseball can be taken from you at any moment,” Williams mentioned. “Try not to just always rely on baseball, baseball, baseball. Just try to have other identities because baseball is not going to define me as a human so just trying not to make it a be-all-do-all type thing.”
Williams, the quintessential baseball grinder, takes enjoyment in golf and mentioned he’s come to understand time along with his household.
However baseball is the focus, and making an attempt to meet his objective of changing into a serious leaguer.
Together with his wrist lastly wholesome, he returned to play late final season at Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse earlier than heading to the Arizona Fall League.
The 21-year-old infielder — who can be taking part in middle area to extend his versatility — is making an attempt this spring to depart one other optimistic impression on Mets officers.
Final 12 months, in his first main league camp, the 5-foot-6 Williams turned a quick favourite of supervisor Carlos Mendoza and the teaching employees.
“He carried himself like a big leaguer,” Mendoza mentioned. “He went through a lot last year and you watch him in the clubhouse like he belongs here. I want to see him be himself — go out there, control the strike zone, do damage. He’s got good bat-to-ball skills, run the bases and play defense, too.”
Mendoza added that he’s seen Williams take grounders at second base, however now he’s excited by watching him play middle area.
Williams, who arrived as a shortstop within the first spherical of the 2022 draft, is the one Mets place participant ranked within the prime 100 by MLB Pipeline. Williams is ranked No. 58.
Although he acquired simply 148 plate appearances in his shortened season, Williams received’t use the phrase “frustrating” to explain his scenario final 12 months.
“I think everybody kind of has to go through that,” Williams mentioned. “I would just say that it’s part of the process. Not everything is going to go your way, it just depends on how you bounce back from it. You just kind of learn from yourself and learn from the things you need to be doing correctly on an everyday basis.”
Williams started to indicate life late within the season in his six video games for Syracuse and it carried into the Arizona Fall League, the place he produced a .764 OPS in 101 plate appearances.
“The Fall League went good,” he mentioned. “I think it was more so just trying to find myself again and try to be normal. Kind of getting back into it and the big thing was coming back and making sure my wrist was healthy.”
Williams’ locker sits in the course of the room within the Mets’ clubhouse, a place reserved for non-roster minor leaguers invited to camp.
Luke Ritter occupies the locker to Williams’ proper. Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford have lockers in the identical cluster, on the alternative aspect.
Williams is embracing all of it.
“I think I was comfortable here last year,” he mentioned. “Clearly, you come into a brand new locker room with these large leaguers you’ve got seen on TV – it’s simply extra so how they welcome you and I believe they did a tremendous job final 12 months, simply welcoming me with open arms.
“It just goes to show what type of team this is, that you can come in, if you are on the team or not on the team, it just helps that they welcome you and make you feel comfortable and say you do make it to the big leagues you don’t have to worry about anything. You just go out there and play.”
