San Francisco Giants: Is There Hope with Mac Williamson?

What Can We Expect at the Big League Level?

First of all, Mac is 26 years old and will be 27 this July, so he’s no spring chicken. Being that he spent four years in college, you hope those guys make it to the big leagues within a year or two, and that would have been the case had he not needed Tommy John Surgery.

This year will be crucial for Williamson as it almost seems like it’s now or never. I would like to see him get some regular playing time just to see what he’s capable of.

As you can see by the Twitter conversation above with @CoveChatter, Williamson hit .260 with 5 home runs, 13 walks and 19 strikeouts from June 10 to July 31 when he was receiving regular playing time.

However, you could take a one month period of just about anyone’s major league career and make them look like a Hall of Famer.

But @CoveChatter does make a good point, and part of me wants to see what he does with regular playing time.

Based on what I’ve seen at the major league level and his track record in the minors, I think we could expect a .250 average and .315 on-base-percentage with 18-23 home runs and close to 150 strikeouts.

More from Around the Foghorn

• SF Giants sign veteran 1B John Nogowski to minor league deal
• SF Giants call on veteran LHP Scott Kazmir for big start against Padres
• SF Giants: Update on Alex Dickerson’s rehab assignment
• Atlanta claims SF Giants C Chadwick Tromp off waivers
• SF Giants: Could Johnny Cueto help down the stretch?

I would say his ceiling is probably a right-handed Brandon Belt with a little more pop – .275/.330 with 20-plus home runs.

We’ve yet to talk about his defense, which is obviously a big aspect to what the San Francisco Giants want to do. I can’t give him a fair judgement as a defender just because I haven’t seen enough with my eyes, and I don’t understand FanGraph’s confusing defensive metrics.

From what I have seen and read, he has surprisingly good range for his size and is a suitable defender in either corner outfield position. Probably a little less range than Gregor Blanco, but a little better arm.

After doing some research I can see why Giants fans still have hope for Mac. He has shown very good power potential in the past, and he’s yet to get a fair shot at the major league level.

However, for a team that is ready to win a World Series this year, I still think it would still be in the best interest of the San Francisco Giants to look for someone who has been a consistent player at the major league level.

The best course of action would probably be to see how Williamson does in spring training and the first few months of the season, and then if it doesn’t look like Mac is the answer in left field then trade for a replacement.

Next: San Francisco Giants: Possible Trade Targets

The ceiling for Williamson is a pretty good major league outfielder, but if he doesn’t hit that ceiling soon the San Francisco Giants need to move on.