Ronnie Williams Stats & Scouting Report

IP	3.1
ERA	21.6
WHIP	3.6
BB/9	8.1
SO/9	13.5

Full name Ronnie Ellis Williams
Born 01/06/1996 in Miami, FL
Profile Ht.: 6'0" / Wt.: 170 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School American
Drafted in the 2nd round (68th overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2014 (signed for $833,900).

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The athletic, quick-armed Williams' velocity has been on a steady upward trajectory over the last year. He wasn't completely healthy last summer and pitched mostly at 87-88 mph, touching 91 mph in the fall at Florida Diamond Club. But he has touched 97 this spring and sat in the low 90s in his best outings this spring, though his velocity has fallen into the high 80s late in some outings. He has a quick arm and gets armside life to his fastball. His curveball has flashed average, though it's inconsistent, and he is working on a slider. His changeup flashes average potential but is even less consistent than his curve. There is some effort to his delivery, his velocity played down a tick out of the stretch and he is somewhat raw, but he is very athletic. The 6-foot, 175-pound Williams a slender build with long arms that will accommodate additional strength gains.

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The Cardinals selected six consecutive pitchers to open the 2014 draft. They grabbed the surefire college righthander (Luke Weaver), the upside high schooler (Jack Flaherty), and even the high-performance college lefty (Austin Gomber). In the middle of all that polish, the Cardinals also picked a project. Small, athletic and gifted with a spring-loaded right arm, Williams had far less experience as a pitcher than his contemporaries. An eager student of the position, Williams proved to be as quick to learn as he was quick to throw. The righthander builds his game around a fastball that sits in the low 90s mph and touches 97. He sometimes loses velocity to gain command and needs more consistency with the fastball to use his secondary pitches. Williams has a changeup that will play at higher levels and a wipeout breaking ball that will play if he can throw it for a strike. His stuff has been described as "electric," but it's not always efficient. He got better later in the season--no surprise because he's also getting stronger--earning a promotion from short-season State College to low Class A Peoria. The ingredients are all there awaiting the catalyst that only comes from experience, which he's set to get as a priority starter at Peoria in 2017.
The Cardinals' 2014 draft class started with six consecutive pitchers (five of whom signed), a group headlined by first-round righthanders Jack Flaherty and Luke Weaver and including lefty Austin Gomber. All three have much more polish and size than small, athletic, quick-armed Williams, who came late to pitching. He added polish in his first full season as a pitcher, though progress on the field proved intermittent at Rookie-level Johnson City in 2015. Williams must gain strength to bring his best stuff more consistently. His fastball has been his most consistent pitch, sitting 88-91 mph and touching 92 as a pro after reaching as high as 97 as an amateur. It's still a tough pitch to center thanks to its armside life, and he's hardly the first pitcher to lose velocity when first experiencing a pro workload. His curveball and changeup lag behind, as does his feel for pitching, but he showed the ability to grind through a pro schedule and retains impressive athleticism. Williams will have to have a big spring to earn a full-season rotation spot. More likely, he'll head to extended spring training and move up to short-season State College for 2016.
The Cardinals usually prefer college pitchers to high school arms in the early draft rounds, but the philosophy has evolved. In 2014, Williams followed California high schooler Jack Flaherty in the second round, arriving from south Florida after signing for $833,900. Williams stands out for his athleticism. He was a two-way recruit to Florida A&M and is a plus runner. The Cardinals scouted every one of his games in the spring after seeing him in April, with two scouts struck by his athleticism and easy velocity. His fastball came on significantly as a prep senior, and his fastball touched 97 mph in 2014 after it sat 87-88 mph in the summer of 2013, when he wasn't completely healthy. Williams is better when his fastball sits in the low 90s with good armside life. He also has flashed feel for a changeup and a too-slow curveball, though he's shown some ability to spin the ball with a rudimentary slider. The Cardinals are banking on Williams' makeup, athleticism and quick arm. He appears likely to start 2015 in extended spring training with a step up to Rookie-level Johnson City in June.

Draft Prospects

The athletic, quick-armed Williams' velocity has been on a steady upward trajectory over the last year. He wasn't completely healthy last summer and pitched mostly at 87-88 mph, touching 91 mph in the fall at Florida Diamond Club. But he has touched 97 this spring and sat in the low 90s in his best outings this spring, though his velocity has fallen into the high 80s late in some outings. He has a quick arm and gets armside life to his fastball. His curveball has flashed average, though it's inconsistent, and he is working on a slider. His changeup flashes average potential but is even less consistent than his curve. There is some effort to his delivery, his velocity played down a tick out of the stretch and he is somewhat raw, but he is very athletic. The 6-foot, 175-pound Williams a slender build with long arms that will accommodate additional strength gains.