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JACKSON WILLIAMS, CATCHER
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| Born: May 14, 1986 Height: 5’11” Weight: 200 Bats: Right Throws: Right Drafted: Supplemental 1st Round, 43rd Overall, 2007 (Giants) How Acquired: Minor League Free Agent College: University of Oklahoma Agent: N/A |
WTM’s PLAYER PROFILE |
| Williams was drafted as a defense-oriented catcher in the supplemental first round. According to Baseball America, the Giants had six early picks that year and may have overdrafted Williams to help them stay within their bonus budget. He’s always shown strong receiving and throwing skills, but he struggled from the start at the plate and appears to have made a quick transition to organizational catcher. He’s willing to draw a walk and makes decent contact, but his bat just hasn’t developed at all. The Pirates signed Williams as a minor league free agent for 2017.
2007 Williams didn’t hit much in his debut, although he showed good plate discipline. He threw out 43% of base stealers. Baseball America ranked him as the Giants’ 18th best prospect after the season. 2008 The Giants sent Williams to low A and he struggled badly at the plate. They nevertheless promoted him at mid-season and he didn’t really improve, at least not if you take into account the fact that he was moving to the very high-offense California League. On the season he threw out an impressive 44% of base stealers. BA ranked him 16th in the Giants’ system on the basis of his defense. 2009 Despite the offensive struggles, the Giants moved Williams up to AA. He continued to struggle at the plate, although with solid plate discipline, and he continued to throw out base stealers, in this case 40%. 2010 Williams split the season between AA and AAA. He made a little progress at the plate after moving up, although he again was moving to a very favorable hitting environment, this time the Pacific Coast League. He threw out 31% of base stealers in AA and 40% in AAA. 2011 Williams opened the season in AAA, but struggled more than usual at the plate and was used mainly as a backup. The Giants sent hi down to AA late in the season. 2012 The Giants sent Williams to AAA, where he split time behind the plate with Eli Whiteside. Williams seems to have sacrificed patience for power, as he hit more than twice as many HRs than he has in any other season, but his walk rate dropped sharply. 2013 Williams spent another year in AAA, again playing a little more than half the time. He hit about the same as the previous year only with less power. He left the Giants as a free agent after the season and signed with the Rockies. 2014 The Rockies sent Williams to AAA for most of the season but he got a couple of brief callups. He hit a little better, probably in part a result of playing in Colorado Springs. His season ended a few days early with surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. The Rockies designated him for assignment after the season and the Angels claimed him. 2015 The Angels sold Williams’ contract to the Giants during spring training. He spent the season in AAA until a callup in early September. He did very little at the plate. After the season he became a free agent and signed with Colorado. 2016 Williams spent most of the season in AA, making just a brief appearance in AAA. He struggled more than usual at the plate. 2017 Williams got an invitation to major league spring training when he signed. Elias Diaz and Jacob Stallings opened the season as the catchers in AAA, with Williams in extended spring training. He was sent to Altoona at the end of April and rode the shuttle between there and Indianapolis the rest of the season, based on which catchers were available. Williams hit very little, but threw out 32% of base stealers and did a good job of receiving. 2018 Williams became a free agent in the fall, but re-signed with the Pirates. He continued as an upper-level backup, getting limited playing time at Altoona and Indianapolis. Jackson will be a free agent again after the season. |
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CONTRACT INFORMATION
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| 2018: Minor league salary |
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PLAYER INFORMATION
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| Signing Bonus: $708,750 MiLB Debut: 2007 MLB Debut: 8/27/2014 MiLB FA Eligible: 2018 MLB FA Eligible: Rule 5 Eligible: Eligible Added to 40-Man: 6/23/2014 (since removed) Options Remaining: 2 (USED: 2014) MLB Service Time: 0.037 |
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TRANSACTIONS
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| June 7, 2007: Drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the supplemental 1st round, 43rd overall pick; signed on June 18. November 5, 2013: Became a free agent. November 17, 2013: Signed as a minor league free agent by the Colorado Rockies. June 23, 2014: Contract purchased by the Colorado Rockies. October 22, 2014: Claimed off waivers from the Colorado Rockies by the Los Angeles Angels. November 20, 2014: Designated for assignment by the Los Angeles Angels; outrighted to AAA on November 25. March 17, 2015: Traded by the Los Angeles Angels to the San Francisco Giants for cash. September 6, 2015: Called up by the San Francisco Giants. October 15, 2015: Outrighted to AAA by the San Francisco Giants. November 6, 2015: Became a free agent. November 10, 2015: Signed as a minor league free agent by the Colorado Rockies. November 7, 2016: Became a free agent. January 4, 2017: Signed as a minor league free agent by the Pittsburgh Pirates. November 6, 2017: Became a free agent. December 19, 2017: Signed as a minor league free agent by the Pittsburgh Pirates. |
