Progressing rapidly

Still adjusting to the rigors and challenges of his first full season of professional baseball, Houston Astros shortstop prospect Jeron Williams finds himself ahead of even his own schedule.

The Archbold High School and University of Toledo product was recently promoted to Double-A Corpus Christi. One year removed from playing college baseball, Williams did not imagine he would make this rapid of a progression.

“It was right around when college baseball was happening, and I was like, ‘I never would have guessed a year from [college] I’d be in Double-A,” Williams said. “Especially after the first short season I had in pro ball. I did not expect to get to Double-A this quick, but I guess through hard work that’s what comes with it. I try not to worry about that stuff too much. I just try to play and hopefully play well enough where you can get promoted or stay in the lineup every day.”

A ninth-round draft pick out of Toledo by the Astros, Williams has quickly impressed the Houston organization with his natural athleticism, his ability to barrel the ball, and his range and arm from the shortstop position.

“In general, the things that are exciting about Jeron are that we knew the kind of athlete he was when we drafted him — he’s among one of the better athletes that we have in our system,” Astros farm director Jacob Buffa said. “He got into pro ball, and the bat-to-ball skills have been fantastic. We saw those in college, as well, but some players have slower transitions into pro ball.

“With him it’s really high contact rates, it’s really quick on the bases, and an arm to play shortstop and a lot of range. I think you put those tools together, and you have a really exciting player.”

With every new level of baseball comes an adjustment period, and Williams has had to adjust to the quality of pitching at Double-A.

He is working to maintain his aggressive approach at the plate, while also improving his selectivity as far as which pitches to attack to ensure he makes quality contact.

“Double-A pitching is one of the first steps where you see pitchers really making adjustments to your weaknesses,” Corpus Christi manager Joe Thon said. “I would say plate discipline is the main one. It’s pretty apparent that whenever Jeron is able to hit the ball clean, it’s very hard. The guy is very, very strong. So now, it’s being able to be more disciplined against different approaches.

“Other teams are going to try to exploit his weaknesses like any other hitter. He just needs to be more disciplined, and then he’ll be in a good spot. He seems to be making adjustments very quickly, and he’s around a good group of guys so that’s going to really help him refine those approaches.”

Williams was hitting .310 with five homers, 24 RBIs, and a .918 OPS to go with 12 stolen bases at High-A Asheville prior to his promotion.

In 15 games so far with Corpus Christi, Williams is hitting .208 with a homer, seven RBIs, a .651 OPS, and has recorded three stolen bases.

As he demonstrated in college, Williams has always been a good base stealer. He often relied on his natural speed to steal bases, but he is now working to get better reads and be a smarter baserunner.

“He’s already had a label as a very good baserunner in the organization,” Thon said. “And I’ve seen it here. He’s stolen a couple of bases here just on his own. The guy knows when to do it and is very smart on the base paths. It’s something that seems to be a part of his game and with more games and with more experience, it will only get better.”

Williams has played a bit of third base already at Double-A as part of the Astros’ emphasis on position versatility but looks like he has the tools to stick as a shortstop.

“We are going to be looking to see certain footwork and positioning on where certain balls are taking him,” Buffa said. “Whether it’s left or right or certain angles, how do we adjust and how do we drop-step and how do we through from different angles? I think that’s something that we are looking to develop. But in all honesty, his defense is in a spot where most players’ progressions are not limited by their defense. Position players are primarily limited by their production at the plate.

“For him, it is going to be seeing if he can chase less while still being aggressive at pitches in the zone. It’s difficult to say I don’t want to swing as much outside the zone, but not have that turn into being passive on pitches in the zone. If he can continue do batted ball-wise what he did in Asheville and maybe chase 10 percent less than what he did in Asheville, he’ll be in an excellent spot. Then over time, we’ll work to develop a little more in-game power.”

Williams is getting used to the travel and pressure of playing professional baseball but is still holding onto the child-like love of getting to play the sport every day.

It can be tough, feeling at times like you are on your own dealing with inevitable failures against some of the best pitching prospects in the sport. But Williams believes he is mentally prepared to face what is coming his way.

“I feel like I’m ready for that,” Williams said. “I’m still trying to get better at dealing with failure, because you are going to be dealing with failure a lot more than in college. It’s just something that’s hard. We play every single day and you are going to have your weeks where you get one or two hits and you are struggling. At the end of the day, you just have to keep going, because what else are you going to do after a bad week or a bad game? There’s nothing you can do about it but keep putting in the work and getting ready for the game the next day. That’s the kind of mindset you have to have in pro ball every single day and every single week.”

While it is never an exact science how a prospect progresses in the minor leagues and progress is often not linear, the fact Williams is already in Double-A as a 23-year-old is a sign of the potential he possesses and the confidence the Astros have in his abilities.

“I don’t ever like to put caps or a ceiling on what a player can do,” Buffa said. “I guess what I would say is that Jeron’s defensive ability, his bat-to-ball skills, and his speed are plus major-league tools. I think Jeron can go as far as his in-game power and his approach let him.

“If he refines that to an extreme degree and has tremendous improvement over the next couple of years, there is no reason to believe Jeron can’t be an above-average major-league shortstop. I think he has a very high ceiling. As far as what’s most likely, that’s hard to say. But I can definitely see Jeron impacting our major league team in some capacity in the next couple of years.”

For now, however, Williams is enjoying his recent promotion and putting in hard work.

“From what I do know of Jeron and what I’ve seen of him and what the coaches have said, he’s an extremely hard worker, he’s very, very coachable, and he’s always got a smile on his face,” Buffa said. “That’s really all you can ask. If you ask me what traits I want in a player, those are the three big ones.”

Contact Brian Buckey at bbuckey@theblade.com or on Twitter @BrianBuckey.