Unowned
Alika Williams, IF
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Scouting report
I've now lived in Arizona since 2014 and have seen about as much of Alika Williams as I have any player during that stretch, and I still don't know whether his swing is going to work in pro ball. He swings a lot like Zack Greinke (at least Alika's pull shot homers tend to look like the ones Greinke would yank out), ambushing fastballs middle-down and scooping them out to left field. Williams' swing is geared for low-ball contact. He's short to the ball and can lift balls down and in, while he serves pitches away from him the other way. As currently constituted, I think he may have trouble with power-pitchers who work the top of the zone. He's also not very physical. The Rays love his frame and think he'll get stronger but he just left one of the best athletic programs in the country -- ASU has a nice weight room -- without much strength. I'm skeptical it will come in a relevant fashion. He is an acrobatic defensive shortstop with great feel for contact, though, so I think he's a high-probability utility man. (Fall Instructional League)