Ben Williamson Could Help the Mariners in 2025
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Arkansas Travelers third baseman Ben Williamson plays the field during a minor league baseball game. Credit: Ben Williamson/Instagram [/caption]
The Mariners don’t appear to have many positional battles to open the 2025 season, and that’s at least partly because most of Seattle’s top prospects are being considered at least a year away from contributing at the highest level.
But (almost) every spring there’s a young name that impresses in the Cactus League and puts himself on the radar for the upcoming campaign, and this year, that name is Ben Williamson.
Williamson has been outstanding in his action in Arizona this year, coming into Wednesday with a slash of .333/.500/.556 over his dozen at-bats, and looking the part with the glove in the process.
Let’s take a look at what Williamson’s strengths and weaknesses are, and why there’s at least a chance he could be someone who helps the Mariners by the end of 2025.
Background
Seattle drafted Williamson with the 57th pick in the 2022 MLB Draft out of William & Mary, and it’s worth noting he was viewed as a “senior signing” while receiving a bonus of $600,000 — under half of the $1.436 million allocated for that selection. It’s also worth noting that “cheap” signing has more to do with the Mariners needing to go overslot to sign players like Tai Peete and Aidan Smith than anything to do with financial limitations. The infielder was so-so in his first taste of professional baseball with a .268 average and .715 OPS while reaching Low-A Modesto, but it was a sample of only a dozen games. He was much more impressive in his first full season in 2024, hitting .315/.408/.460 over 29 games in High-A with Everett, and he forged a slash of .273/.385/.374 over the final 95 games with Double-A Arkansas.
Hit Tool
Williamson’s swing doesn’t offer much loft in it — more on that in a second — as his stroke is more conducive to hitting line drives. He’s able to do so because his bat stays in the zone, and he’s willing to use all parts of the field. On top of that, Williamson is an assertive hitter who is willing to jump on pitches early in the count, but also is patient enough to draw his fair share of walks as well. It’s not likely that he’s a hitter who ranks among the league leaders in average, but he should get on at a solid clip.
Power
Without question, this is the biggest question mark of Williamson’s game. He hit just four homers in 2024, and because of his aforementioned flat swing, it’s going to take significant mechanical changes to suggest he will be above average. And, of course, you cannot ignore he will be playing in inarguably the toughest park to hit in for his home games if/when he gets the call.
That said, Williamson is more than a dink-and-dunk hitter. Yes, the home-run totals are not where you want to see from a corner infielder, but let’s keep in mind that he was able to procure 41 extra-base hits last year, with 34 of those being doubles. He also spent three-quarters of his season playing his home games in Arkansas, and that’s a park that’s notorious for suppressing power from right-handed hitters. At the very least, Williamson can put the baseball into the gaps, and it would be far from unheard of for Williamson to have those doubles turn into dingers as he gets stronger and more comfortable driving the baseball.
Speed/Baserunning
Williamson is not considered a burner, but he posts solid run times and was able to steal 19 bases in 25 attempts in 2024. He gets good jumps on the bases and quality reviews for his acumen. It’s not likely he picks up those kinds of steal totals at the highest level, but he should be more helper-than-hurter once he reaches with enough quickness to take an extra bag or two.
Defense
The hit tool is impressive, the ability to potentially steal double-digit bags doesn’t hurt, and the fact that there might be decent — if not impressive — power in his right-handed bat is nice. But the reason Williamson has a chance for a long MLB career is his glove. Scouts give the 24-year-old plus-plus grades at third base, as he has excellent instincts, quick reflexes and excels at charging the baseball. On top of that, Williamson has a strong throwing arm that plays well at any infield spot, particularly the hot corner. He also could play at shortstop, and people I’ve spoken to in the industry believe he’s quick enough to handle a spot up the middle; maybe not at the elite rate he’s projected to at third, but good enough to pass at the position and then some. To say he would already be the best defender in the Mariner infield is an understatement.
If you were asking for grades on the 20-80 scouting scale for Williamson’s tools right now, I would say Williamson gets a 70 on defense, 50 on speed, 40 on hit tool and 30 on power. So, the question is, is that good enough to help the Seattle Mariners in 2025?
I would say yes. Potentially, anyway. Some of this has to do with me having serious questions about whether or not Jorge Polanco is the true answer at third base because of how his skill set plays and because of his injury issues. That’s not to say Williamson is a better player than Polanco now and he may never reach his ceiling, but you could argue that he’s a better fit for what Seattle needs in 2025.
He’s probably not going to make the Opening Day roster — assuming Polanco is ready for the regular season, anyway — but assuming Williamson continues to impress in the Cactus League and handles pitching in Tacoma well, there’s a very good chance Williamson helps the Mariners in 2025. He may not have the upside of some of the other top prospects in the system, but that’s more compliment to names like Colt Emerson and Cole Young than an insult to Williamson. There’s a lot to like here.
