The Cardinals have been granted a fourth minor league option on outfielder Justin Williams, as first reported by Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter). President of baseball ops John Mozeliak confirmed as much in an afternoon call with reporters.
The extra minor league option might have dampened Williams’ chances of making the club more substantially under normal circumstances, but today’s Harrison Bader injury news puts Williams more squarely in the mix for a spot. With Bader sidelined anywhere from four to six weeks due to a forearm issue, Dylan Carlson will likely slide over to center field, giving the trio of Williams, Lane Thomas and Austin Dean a greater chance of making the roster.
Williams, 25, was acquired along with Genesis Cabrera and Roel Ramirez in the trade that sent Tommy Pham to the Rays. He’s logged just seven MLB plate appearances but is a career .271/.333/.423 hitter in 581 Triple-A plate appearances and is batting .259/.333/.407 in 30 trips to the dish this spring. Williams’ numbers to this point in his career don’t show it, but scouting reports throughout his minor league tenure have pegged him for plus raw power and bat speed. That power has been curbed in large part by a penchant for hitting the ball on the ground; Eric Longenhagen and Kiley McDaniel wrote at FanGraphs in January 2020 that Williams had the second-best exit velocity in the Cardinals’ system and the lowest launch angle.
Williams was one of several players awaiting ruling from an arbiter on whether he was out of options or had a fourth minor league option. The process, as is the case with most debates between MLB and the MLBPA, took longer than expected, but rulings have been filing in for the past day. The discrepancy stems from the truncated length of the 2020 season and how it should be treated with regard to fourth option eligibility.
Typically, fourth options are granted to players who have exhausted all three of their minor league options before being healthy enough to play five “full” seasons of pro ball. The league defines “full” as 90-plus days on an active Major League or Minor League roster (not the injured list), but last year’s 60-game season lasted just 67 days, and there were no active roster/injured list distinctions at teams’ alternate training sites.
he might’ve gotten one even in a normal year
Good news for the Cardinals to increase their flexibility. I personally think he’s earned a shot as a fourth outfielder (or even fifth if they try out Nogowski in left, which they should), but this at least won’t force their hand and gives them more options when Bader comes back.
Nogowski looked good in the outfield today. He is really hitting well too. Bader hasn’t been hitting well at all. It would be nice to have his bat in the lineup.
I really wanted to tune in to see his glovework, but work got in the way. That’s good news though if he’s looking capable. He’s been a guy that just hasn’t gotten a chance despite pretty darn good numbers at triple A. If they can get him in the outfield along with Carlson and an improved ONeill, there’s no doubt that last years weak outfield is firmly in the past.
i have have no ill will towards bader (i love his d in cf) and i never wish injuries on a player (unless you a pos person) but this might be a blessing for the cards. i big fan of bader because of his glove but unless a lefty is pitching he hits worse than a rp. anyhow wish bader a speedy recovery and i hope his injury is the reason he looked so bad in st. the kid can be something special in cf if he can learn how to hit righty’s
Bader has never been able to hit. Would like to see Nogowski, Williams or Thomas get a shot
Williams is the next Ray Lankford
Don’t care about the Cardinals, but I live in Memphis and won’t mind seeing some nice talent for the Redbirds when the season starts in May
@chris i have to ask how can you not care for the big club but be a fan of the aaa team, btw i mean no offense. i just can’t wrap my head around the fact you can love a teams milb team but not there mlb club, then again i’ve grown up and currently reside in the stl area so my bb team has always been the cards. you sound like a guy that has lived in memphis his whole life not really having a pro team to root for and would love to hear your input.
I love my AA Cardinals. I get what the other guy is saying about Memphis, some of them linger in AAA for years.
i didn’t think of that dad being in an area with no “pro” team but you have team of hopefuls that you can talk to after the game and kinda get intimate with certain players. i only asked the question because i’m spoiled i’m a 45 min ride from stl but a lot of bb fans are hours away from a mlb team and there milb team becomes there team.
Why not leave him up and send Bader packing. Honestly he couldn’t be any worse that Bader.