Gavin Williams Is Going To Be Just Fine

Cleveland Guardians Rookie pitcher Gavin Williams continues to make progress with each start.

Gavin Williams' ascension to the Major Leagues came fast. He was drafted just two years ago by the Cleveland Guardians with the 23rd pick in the 2021 draft. After that, he was assigned to a team affiliate to begin his professional development.

In 2022, Williams made 16 starts for the Akron Rubber Ducks and put the system on notice by posting a 2.31 ERA. Although he started 2023 in Double-A, it didn't take long for him to make the jump to Triple-A. 

That would be a short stint too.

Williams only lasted nine starts for the Columbus Clippers before getting the call-up to make his Big League debut. It may have been a little earlier than the organization would've liked. However, he was needed because of injuries to the rotation.

He made his first Major League start on June 21 against the Oakland A's. He pitched 5.2 innings and struck out four batters.

Williams has now made five total starts and put up an ERA of 3.94 and a 1.18 WHIP. He's also averaging just under one home run a start as well. 

Sure, those numbers do appear to be a little bit high. However, two of those five starts came against the Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers; arguably the two best offenses in baseball.

Gavin Williams, Nasty 88mph Changeup. 👌 pic.twitter.com/sqAjqFLWA2

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 15, 2023

Williams' pitch mix has been something that has shown real promise. His fastball velocity is consistently topping in the high 90s while keeping the exit velocity down as well. He's been able to mix that on with offspeed pitched such as his changeup that keeps batters on their toes.

The young pitcher has also been able to pitch himself out of some tough jams too. Gavin had the bases loaded with no outs in the first inning against the Rangers on Saturday and only allowed one run.

Before Gavin stepped on an MLB mound, he was already drawing comparisons to some of the game's greats such as Gerrit Cole. That's a tough expectation to meet. Of course, Williams will have his growing pains and learning moments. Right now it's establishing a consistent command of his triple-digit fastball. 

Each start is showing progress or a learning moment he can take from it which is only going to make him a better pitcher. 

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