2013 MLB Draft: Miami Marlins select Trevor Williams with the 44th pick in second round

Mandatory Credit: Sam Rosenbaum, The State Press

The Miami Marlins made their third selection of the day, taking Trevor Williams, a right-handed starting pitcher from Arizona State University.

Williams started his college career as a reliever for Arizona State, but would be converted to a starter in his sophomore season and thrived in that role. Williams’ possess a fastball that can touch the mid-90’s, but generally sits in the low 90’s. He also has three other pitches in his arsenal, including a slider, a 12-6 curveball, and a developing changeup.

Scouts believe Williams has the stuff to rack up a lot of swings and misses, but his strikeouts were not there in college. In 2012, Williams struck out just 94 batters in 144 1/3 innings, a rate good for only 5.7 strikeouts per nine innings. Given that Williams likes to pound the strikezone and has a strong arsenal of pitches, his strikeouts should develop as he matures.

Here are what Perfect Game’s Allan Simpson had to say about Williams:

Allan Simpson, Baseball Prospectus

"When his velocity topped out at 95-96 mph in the first month of the 2013 season and he came out throwing strikes with three other pitches, there were high expectations that he would factor into the draft as a safe late first-round pick. But the 6-foot-3, 230-pound right-hander hasn’t sustained his early-season pace, and was 5-3, 3.30 through his first 11 starts, with 13 walks and 55 strikeouts in 79 innings. Scouts have picked up a subtle mechanical adjustment in Williams’ otherwise smooth delivery, which has been ostensibly aimed at generating more power in his secondary pitches as he always has lacked a true swing-and-miss offering. In the process, he has lost velocity on his fastball, which has been typically 91-93 mph in the early innings to 88-91 throughout, and there hasn’t been much improvement in his breaking stuff, though his 78-82 mph slider remains steady."

Williams has the upside of a mid-rotation starter and his game is developed enough that he should rise through the Marlins organization quickly.

Here is a video on Williams pitching: