Taylor Williams

[adambr2]

With all the talk of the signings of free agent relievers, are we overlooking a potential pen weapon within our own system?

 

It's been a long road back for Williams, but after a successful 2017 without setbacks for him, I think at age 26 it may be time to take the reins off and see if he can establish himself as a dominant late inning reliever in his own right.

 

When right, he's got among the best stuff and most strikeout potential in the system. His future appears to be in the pen -- is a Hader 2017 type emergence from Williams out of the question in 2018?

 

I think he should be given every opportunity in spring training to win a job in the pen, and I hope he does.

[TJseven7]

If we dont add 2 starters and 2 relievers I'll be pretty irritated if he isn't in our pen to start the season. I'd rather him than drake because we use drake poorly. I think he gets a shot and I think Houser is right behind him.

 

Anderson davies woodruff

Knebel hader jeffress barnes

 

2 starters and 3 relievers from FA trade or suter jungemann guerra wilkerson williams houser. If stearns doesn't push in now (and I really dont expect him to) its another growth year and that makes it a year where we sort out those 6 names before we hopefully add nelson and burnes into the rotation and Fperalta into the pen. When all is said and done I expect williams and barnes to be battling for 5th or 6th option behind knebel hader jeffress and an addition who slots into the 8th inning.

 

We seem to like adding guys who didn't get their chance elsewhere. I'd find it unlikely that williams never gets a shot here.

 

I'm expecting a lot of talks and little action from Stearns. I dont expect a big money addition at pitcher. I dont expect a big money reliever. I expect some trades that sell extras, where he wins the trade and I expect some bargain signings with upside. Buy low trades. If that's the way this plays out Williams gets his shot now and he should.

[KeithStone53151]

Williams for me has always had an inside track on the 8th rotational spot in the bullpen. The guy that shuttles from AAA to MLB to keep an arm fresh. He has options, so it makes sense. I'm hopeful he wins that job to start the season and performs well. He could solidify a spot in the pen that way. For me, the pen is Knebel/Jeffress/Barnes/Suter/Williams/3 FA. We should have 4-5 good back end relief options, Suter for long relief, Jeffress/Williams would likely open in the mop up type role but could win better chances with good performance.

 

To your point directly, I don't think most are overlooking him. I think people see we have money to spend and hope we spend significantly on the bullpen and make that more of a strength, but keep one spot open for an additional home grown talent.

[jerichoholicninja]

You would think he'd be given a shot this year but they refused to even pitch him in blowouts last September so they may not think so highly of him.

[pacopete4]

You would think he'd be given a shot this year but they refused to even pitch him in blowouts last September so they may not think so highly of him.

 

I see it a different way. The called him up because of what they thought of him and didn't use him all that much because he was coming off an injury and hadn't pitched since 2014.

[JohnBriggs12]

Williams, Wang and Lopez are all guys who likely won't make the team out of spring training but will see plenty of action for the Brewers in 2018. There's always a need.

[KeithStone53151]

You would think he'd be given a shot this year but they refused to even pitch him in blowouts last September so they may not think so highly of him.

 

That's actually not true at all. The Brewers won by more than 6 runs 3 times in September, and Williams pitched 2 of them. The one he didn't pitch is the game we scored 8 runs in the 8th inning against Miami, they had wilkerson finish that one off.

[liveforoctober]

With all the talk of the signings of free agent relievers, are we overlooking a potential pen weapon within our own system?

 

It's been a long road back for Williams, but after a successful 2017 without setbacks for him, I think at age 26 it may be time to take the reins off and see if he can establish himself as a dominant late inning reliever in his own right.

 

When right, he's got among the best stuff and most strikeout potential in the system. His future appears to be in the pen -- is a Hader 2017 type emergence from Williams out of the question in 2018?

 

I think he should be given every opportunity in spring training to win a job in the pen, and I hope he does.

 

My assumption is that the lack of activity or serious rumors surrounding Milwaukee and the reliever market means that we are anticipating filling those roles with internal guys, Williams being at the top of the "step up to the plate" list. I'd be happy with a veteran 7th inning guy to supplement ... but am fully anticipating a handful of big league invite types to battle it out with the Wang, Williams, Wilkerson, Barnes, etc group to earn jobs.

 

I also have a feeling the Brewers are comfortable for at least one more season with Hader as a set up man IF they don't feel comfortable with their options in the pen ... so there isn't much panic to sign a big contract or name because a Jeffress, Hader, Knebel final three should suffice just fine. Just my hunch.

[KeithStone53151]

With all the talk of the signings of free agent relievers, are we overlooking a potential pen weapon within our own system?

 

It's been a long road back for Williams, but after a successful 2017 without setbacks for him, I think at age 26 it may be time to take the reins off and see if he can establish himself as a dominant late inning reliever in his own right.

 

When right, he's got among the best stuff and most strikeout potential in the system. His future appears to be in the pen -- is a Hader 2017 type emergence from Williams out of the question in 2018?

 

I think he should be given every opportunity in spring training to win a job in the pen, and I hope he does.

 

My assumption is that the lack of activity or serious rumors surrounding Milwaukee and the reliever market means that we are anticipating filling those roles with internal guys, Williams being at the top of the "step up to the plate" list. I'd be happy with a veteran 7th inning guy to supplement ... but am fully anticipating a handful of big league invite types to battle it out with the Wang, Williams, Wilkerson, Barnes, etc group to earn jobs.

 

I also have a feeling the Brewers are comfortable for at least one more season with Hader as a set up man IF they don't feel comfortable with their options in the pen ... so there isn't much panic to sign a big contract or name because a Jeffress, Hader, Knebel final three should suffice just fine. Just my hunch.

 

The Brewers are very good at keeping their plans close to the vest. It's only when we work with certain teams(or certain agents) with big mouths that rumors surface. Think about the trades we've made, and how they've basically been done deals before any rumors surfaced. Last year nobody had a clue we were talking with Boston, and sure enough Thornburg gets sent over there.

[JosephC]

I think this player has a future with the Brewers but I'd be hesitant to start the year off with him on the 25 man roster. Last year he missed about 3 weeks in late May/early June and then missed another 3 weeks in late July/early August. And when he was pitching, he was pitching 2 to 3 innings at a time but he was starting so normally he had anywhere from 3 to 5 days off between appearances. Even when he moved to the bullpen he'd have a minimum of 2 days off between appearances and normally it was 3+.

 

IMO it's too risky to start him off in the Brewer's bullpen where he might be forced to throw on back to back days on a regular basis and could start piling up 12-15 appearances per month. I think it's better that he starts the year off in the minors as a reliever where they can do a better job of monitoring the workload. With the way the organization shapes up now he probably will end up a reliever (that doesn't mean I've counted him out as a starter), so they can start throwing him in shorter stints and have him throw back-to-back days and groom him for a bullpen role...but again it's much easier to monitor all of that in the minors. I view him as a 2018 insurance policy and am hoping I wouldn't have to put him on the 25 man roster until later in the year or until 2019.

[FVBrewerFan]

Not being on the Brewers medical staff, I have no clue what their plan is for Williams. So I won't get into any "they should do this/that."

 

That said, I hope he can be a big part of the pen this season. The door isn't closed on him being in the rotation at some point down the road either. But one step at a time.

[OnaBadger58]

Williams and Houser should be given every opportunity to be in the bullpen (edit: to start) 2018. That's why I'd like to see Swarzak resigned and maybe a flyer type of signing (said Rondon in a different thread). There are plenty of options coming up from the minors that spending a lot of money on the bullpen shouldn't be necessary.

 

And for Williams, I would not be having him as the 8th option, bobbing him up and down from the minors to the majors. No sense in putting any extra pressure to produce on an inexperienced player. Leave that to the Suter's and Wilkenson's of this team.

[Fear The Chorizo]

Even with money to spend, the Brewers need to continue building bullpens with internal options mixed with occasional scrap heap acquisitions. I struggle justifying a small market team spending a significant chunk of their budget on relievers - even if the bullpen has become incredibly important to winning MLB games. The Brewers have to fill that priority with internal options and spend wisely on starting pitching.

 

If healthy, Williams should absolutely break camp with the big league club or be on the speed dial list in AAA.

[LouisEly]

You would think he'd be given a shot this year but they refused to even pitch him in blowouts last September so they may not think so highly of him.

 

I see it a different way. The called him up because of what they thought of him and didn't use him all that much because he was coming off an injury and hadn't pitched since 2014.

This, and I think Williams is the reason they let Hughes walk. They kept him on the roster and protected him from the Rule 5, even though he was unable to pitch, for a reason.

 

I think the FA bullpen arms they are going after are more lefty than righty.

[JohnBriggs12]

There's a lot of innings to be filled over the course of the season. Not only is Hughes gone, but so is Torres. Brewers owe it to themselves to explore the reliever market for proven talent. The guys with options are there to fill in when needed.

[Humans Need Water]

There's a lot of innings to be filled over the course of the season. Not only is Hughes gone, but so is Torres. Brewers owe it to themselves to explore the reliever market for proven talent. The guys with options are there to fill in when needed.

They are *exploring* the market. There's other avenues to explore as well - current MLB players via trade, AAA guys who are MLB ready who need an opportunity to prove themselves (there are current AAA players that have better stuff, higher ceilings than current MLB players - just an fyi - T.Williams be an example of one who happens to already be in our system)

[Warning Track Power]

Williams and Houser should be given every opportunity to be in the bullpen (edit: to start) 2018. That's why I'd like to see Swarzak resigned and maybe a flyer type of signing (said Rondon in a different thread). There are plenty of options coming up from the minors that spending a lot of money on the bullpen shouldn't be necessary.

 

And for Williams, I would not be having him as the 8th option, bobbing him up and down from the minors to the majors. No sense in putting any extra pressure to produce on an inexperienced player. Leave that to the Suter's and Wilkenson's of this team.

Williams and Houser in the bullpen is a good recipe to begin 2018. The Brewers need to determine what they have in their system and if this requires a step back in 2018, so be it. The Brewers shouldn't be competing with the $7-$9 million annual salaries for decent relievers. Williams and Houser, if they perform, will be a significant bargain and will allow for the Brewers to add salary in other places (SP perhaps).

[adambr2]

There's a lot of innings to be filled over the course of the season. Not only is Hughes gone, but so is Torres. Brewers owe it to themselves to explore the reliever market for proven talent. The guys with options are there to fill in when needed.

They are *exploring* the market. There's other avenues to explore as well - current MLB players via trade, AAA guys who are MLB ready who need an opportunity to prove themselves (there are current AAA players that have better stuff, higher ceilings than current MLB players - just an fyi)

 

I totally agree with you. There are numerous options for building this pen that extend beyond throwing market value price at a few relievers. A trade is definitely possible, and I do expect Williams, Houser, and now that he's on the 40, perhaps every Freddy Peralta, to play roles in the pen this year.

 

Long ways to go but I would also guess at this point that they are planning on Hader returning to the pen in 2018 which by itself presents a significant improvement over the pen we opened with and carried for the first 60 games or so in 2017.

[reillymcshane]

Personally, I'd love to see Williams break camp with Milwaukee in the bullpen. He's old enough and been through enough that he should have the maturity to make the transition. And I love his stuff. And the areas he struggled with - control - is something that started to come around in the 2nd half of 2017 (not a shocking thing to happen after two years removed from playing). There will no doubt be some rough times - but he can easily start in the lower leverage slots of games - and if he responds - move up the ladder of responsibility.

 

My big thing is to not jerk the guy around. Give him a job (assuming he earns it in camp) and tell him not to freak out if he has a bad outing or two. Just let him grow and get comfortable. With luck, perhaps he can be an impact arm by season's end.

[brewmann04]

I would think him going to the pen will be great however is that a lot to ask of the young man at this point.

[dacbrewers]

Personally, I'd love to see Williams break camp with Milwaukee in the bullpen. He's old enough and been through enough that he should have the maturity to make the transition. And I love his stuff. And the areas he struggled with - control - is something that started to come around in the 2nd half of 2017 (not a shocking thing to happen after two years removed from playing). There will no doubt be some rough times - but he can easily start in the lower leverage slots of games - and if he responds - move up the ladder of responsibility.

 

My big thing is to not jerk the guy around. Give him a job (assuming he earns it in camp) and tell him not to freak out if he has a bad outing or two. Just let him grow and get comfortable. With luck, perhaps he can be an impact arm by season's end.

 

Williams should be in the pen. He is one of the best 25 players in the organization. I hate it when a team plays the option game for another year of control. Sign him pre-arby and control him for as long as the contract. He could be an impact arm this year, plus he needs to get MLB innings.

[mrn1ceguy]

Personally, I'd love to see Williams break camp with Milwaukee in the bullpen. He's old enough and been through enough that he should have the maturity to make the transition. And I love his stuff. And the areas he struggled with - control - is something that started to come around in the 2nd half of 2017 (not a shocking thing to happen after two years removed from playing). There will no doubt be some rough times - but he can easily start in the lower leverage slots of games - and if he responds - move up the ladder of responsibility.

 

My big thing is to not jerk the guy around. Give him a job (assuming he earns it in camp) and tell him not to freak out if he has a bad outing or two. Just let him grow and get comfortable. With luck, perhaps he can be an impact arm by season's end.

 

Williams should be in the pen. He is one of the best 25 players in the organization. I hate it when a team plays the option game for another year of control. Sign him pre-arby and control him for as long as the contract. He could be an impact arm this year, plus he needs to get MLB innings.

 

In general, I agree he should be in the pen. However, if Williams is in AAA (or AA) this season, I don't think its about another year of control but more to control his increase of innings with maybe a eye towards starting. He was out of baseball for two years and had a very manicured 50 innings last year. If they want to heavily control his inning increase, the minors is the place to be. If they see him as a future RP who can handle <70 innings with typical usage right now, then I expect to see him on the 25 man roster.