Jett Williams Is Having the Breakout He Needs

Jett Williams burst onto the scene in 2023, hitting .263/.425/.451/.876 across three levels as he made it from Single-A up to Double-A as a 19-year-old in his first full season of professional baseball. He easily made it onto all of the top 100 prospects lists across the industry and cemented himself as the organization’s top prospect.

Everyone expected a full-fledged breakout in 2024 from the 2022 No. 14 overall pick.

It went about as poorly as possible.

Just 11 games into his season, Williams injured his right wrist. A few weeks later, he underwent a right wrist TFCC debridement procedure, which kept him out of game action until August 21—four months to the day from his last game.

He didn’t have a great start to the season at Double-A before the injury, and after a five-game rehab stint in Single-A, he returned to Binghamton to a similar lack of success. He played just 22 games for the Rumble Ponies and hit .172/.287/.241/.528 with no home runs, and while he did go 8-for-22 in six games at Triple-A to close out the year, it was overall a lost season.

In 2025, it has been a different story.

The Numbers

Williams is hitting the cover off the ball at Double-A. Through 67 games, Williams is hitting .290/.405/.492/.897 with six home runs, five triples and 20 doubles. His OPS and wRC+ both rank in the top 10 among all qualified Double-A hitters.

Obviously, that’s great, but two things set Williams apart: his age and his position.

Williams plays up the middle. Among the top 10 players in wRC+ at Double-A this season, five primarily play up the middle. Williams, who plays shortstop, second base and center field, is one. The others are Spencer Jones, a center fielder; Max Anderson, a second baseman; Tatem Levins, a catcher; and Trei Cruz, a shortstop and center fielder. Williams is the only one of those five who is also 21 years old or younger.

Williams won’t turn 22 until November. There are just 26 qualified players 21 years old or younger at Double-A this season, and Williams is setting the pace. Of those 26 players, Williams ranks second in OPS and wRC+, only trailing Brewers corner infielder Luke Adams.

It’s the same reason why the industry thought so highly of him after his first full season showing. In 2023, there were 53 teenagers to receive at least 400 minor league plate appearances. Williams’ wRC+ ranked sixth, behind Samuel Basallo, Jackson Holliday, Junior Caminero, Thayron Liranzo and Xavier Isaac. Holliday and Caminero have already made their MLB debuts and then some after being some of the highest-touted prospects in baseball. Basallo is a top-20 prospect in baseball and is seemingly only not in the big leagues because he is blocked at the big league level by Adley Rutschman. Isaac and Liranzo are both consensus top-100 prospects, and borderline top-50.

Right behind him in seventh was Roman Anthony, who would shortly go on to become the consensus No. 1 prospect in baseball. He has also debuted. Termarr Johnson, Moisés Ballesteros and Cole Young rounded out the top 10, and all are highly regarded prospects.

This is the company he kept in 2023. Players who made it to the big leagues so fast that they’ve already graduated from prospect status, or prospects who currently rank among the best in baseball and at the top of their respective organizations.

The Profile

Williams’ best trait is his swing decisions. He is renowned for his ability to command the strike zone, limit chase, take his walks, and hammer the pitches he should swing at. This season, he’s walking at a 15.4% clip, one of the highest rates in the minors among all players and especially among players his age. He’s striking out at a 21.4% clip, which is well above average in Double-A.

He hits for more power than you would expect for someone his size, listed at 5-foot-7, 175 pounds. He has six home runs in 2025, and while he doesn’t profile as someone who will ever post gaudy home run numbers in the big leagues, he has a chance to hit 10-to-15 a season.

Where he really excels is in non-home run extra-base hits. Williams has 31 extra-base hits this season, the third most in the Eastern League. He only trails the aforementioned Anderson and 24-year-old Yankees catcher Rafael Flores.

Williams can seriously run. He’s stolen 24 bases this season, which is tied for third in the Eastern League and is second on his own team, behind Nick Morabito. He’s only been caught five times.

There’s a potential power-speed combo with Williams that is legitimately exciting. Again, he’s probably never going to hit 30 home runs … but 20? It’s not completely off the table.

The Future

Williams’ long-term home on the diamond is still up in the air. This season, he’s made 41 starts at shortstop, 11 in center field and eight at second base.

Shortstop is filled at the MLB level for the next six and a half years, but it’s in the Mets’ best interests to keep him at shortstop as long as possible. If the Mets ever need to use him in a trade, playing shortstop, the most important defensive position, only adds to his trade value.

Center field is a possible landing spot, but the Mets have a plethora of potential long-term center field options in the minor leagues. Carson Benge, the organization’s most likely first-round pick, has done nothing but hit in his professional baseball career. He’s probably more likely to be ticketed to a corner, but he has a real chance to stick in center field. A.J. Ewing has broken out, and he’s primarily been a center fielder this season. Morabito is an option, and while he most likely profiles as a speedy 4th outfielder, he has just continued to hit for what is now the third straight season. Even Drew Gilbert, despite his well-documented struggles, will probably get a chance at some point to play center field in the big leagues.

Second base, despite it being the spot he’s played the least of the three, feels like it’s his future home. Not only is it a classic position for undersized hitters like Williams, but there is no one at the MLB level blocking him. Brett Baty, Luisangel Acuña and Ronny Mauricio are all trying to establish themselves at the MLB level this season, but none have done enough to warrant confidence they’ll stick on the big league roster through 2025, much less into 2026 or 2027.

Jeff McNeil is under contract through next season, which is the perfect timeline for Williams to be his heir. A right-hand hitter, he can form a natural platoon with McNeil at second base, and thanks to McNeil’s versatility, still play a fair share of the games vs. right-handed pitching. Then, if McNeil is gone in 2027 (the Mets hold a club option), second base will be Williams’ job to lose.

Towards the end of the 2023 season, Jett Williams stated his goal of making the big leagues in 2024 as a September call-up. That, obviously, did not happen. Injuries did not let it happen.

But—and it might be a stretch—if he keeps playing the way he has, Williams has an outside shot at being a September call-up in 2025.

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