Sam McWilliams

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked New York Mets #18 prospect in 2021
  TRACK RECORD: The well-traveled McWilliams has been traded twice and selected in the Rule 5 draft in a seven-year pro career. A member of the Rays organization since 2018, he reached Triple-A for a couple months in 2019 and spent 2020 at Tampa Bay's alternate training site. A minor league free agent after the season, McWilliams received multiple major league contract offers. The Mets won out with an offer of $750,000, an unusually high total for a player with no major league experience.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: McWilliams has worked as a starter for the majority of his career, but the Mets view him as a reliever now that his stuff has ticked up. After previously sitting 93 mph, McWilliams showed up to spring training in 2020 pitching in the mid-to-high 90s and touching 98 mph. He used the time at the Rays' camp to improve his fastball precision and has historically had average or better control despite long limbs on his 6-foot-7 frame. McWilliams' slider has consistently sharp bite, mid-to-high-80s velocity and is his top secondary pitch. He also threw a fringy curveball and changeup as a starter.
  
  THE FUTURE: Few teams have struggled to generate capable bullpen arms like the Mets of recent vintage, giving McWilliams a prime opportunity to establish himself in the bullpen. He has three minor league options remaining but could work his way into middle relief in 2021.
• 
  Ranked Kansas City Royals #13 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: McWilliams' combination of promise and inconsistency has been part of the reason he's been traded twice--teams can dream on his potential, but also worry about whether he'll ever reach it. McWilliams was considered one of the highest-ceiling pitchers in the Rule 5 draft and the Royals quickly made him the No. 2 pick in that draft.
  
  Scouting Report: The 6-foot-7 McWilliams is still refining his delivery and trying to find consistency. He's toned down the tempo of his delivery as a pro, and now always pitches from the stretch with a simple leg lift and gather. At his best, his 91-95 mph plus fastball and slider can be a devastating one-two pairing as his slider will flash above-average to plus at its best. But he mixes sharp sliders with some spinners that don't do a lot. And while he can elevate the fastball for swings and misses out of the zone, he's not nearly as consistent with his fastball location when he tries to locate to his armside. His changeup is still a fringy pitch, but he continues to work on it to make it a viable third offering.
  
  The Future: McWilliams' below-average control is his biggest hurdle. He has potential to be a back-of-the-rotation starter eventually, but he's not ready to do that. As a Rule 5 pick, he will more likely fit as a power arm in the bullpen, where he can focus on his fastball and slider and air it out.
• 
  Ranked Arizona Diamondbacks #13 prospect in 2018
  McWilliams was still raw and unrefined when the D-backs acquired him in the Jeremy Hellickson deal with the Phillies in November 2015, but he started rounding into form in 2017. During his senior year of high school, McWilliams was inconsistent with his stuff and command––some days throwing in the mid-80s, and other days topping out at 94 mph. The Phillies liked his arm speed, athleticism and his body projection and eventually selected him in the eighth round. McWilliams got out of whack mechanically in 2016, during his first season with the D-backs, but started tapping into his athleticism while repeating a season in the low Class A Midwest League in 2017. McWilliams throws a 90-95 mph two-seamer with good life and downhill plane out of his 6-foot-7 frame and draws comparisons with Brandon McCarthy. His breaking ball, a slider, grades out as average and flashes plus, and he made strides with his changeup after going from a circle-change to a split-change grip. He averaged just 6.6 strikeouts per nine innings in 2017, but the D-backs don't mind because he induces so many ground balls. Scouts who saw McWilliams at his best like him as much as any starting pitcher in the system and say he has the upside of a No. 3 starter.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #227 prospect in 2014 draft
  McWilliams is one of the prime pop-up arms in the country and has been something of an enigma this spring because his stuff can differ significantly start to start. He worked at 83-86 mph last fall, touching 88. At his best this spring, he sits in the low 90s while touching 94 mph. Other days he can sit 84-86 and even drop as low as 83. His breaking ball frequently plays as below-average, but shows enough spin to project close to average. He has some feel for a changeup that flashes average. The 6-foot-7, 190-pound McWilliams offers plenty of room for projection, and some of his inconsistency comes from a delivery that will likely be altered in pro ball. The Tennessee Tech commit's lack of history, projectable body and inconsistent stuff make him a wild card on draft day.

• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: The well-traveled McWilliams has been traded twice and selected in the Rule 5 draft in a seven-year pro career. A member of the Rays organization since 2018, he reached Triple-A for a couple months in 2019 and spent 2020 at Tampa Bay's alternate training site. A minor league free agent after the season, McWilliams received multiple major league contract offers. The Mets won out with an offer of $750,000, an unusually high total for a player with no major league experience.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: McWilliams has worked as a starter for the majority of his career, but the Mets view him as a reliever now that his stuff has ticked up. After previously sitting 93 mph, McWilliams showed up to spring training in 2020 pitching in the mid-to-high 90s and touching 98 mph. He used the time at the Rays' camp to improve his fastball precision and has historically had average or better control despite long limbs on his 6-foot-7 frame. McWilliams' slider has consistently sharp bite, mid-to-high-80s velocity and is his top secondary pitch. He also threw a fringy curveball and changeup as a starter.
  
  THE FUTURE: Few teams have struggled to generate capable bullpen arms like the Mets of recent vintage, giving McWilliams a prime opportunity to establish himself in the bullpen. He has three minor league options remaining but could work his way into middle relief in 2021.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: The well-traveled McWilliams has been traded twice and selected in the Rule 5 draft in a seven-year pro career. A member of the Rays organization since 2018, he reached Triple-A for a couple months in 2019 and spent 2020 at Tampa Bay's alternate training site. A minor league free agent after the season, McWilliams received multiple major league contract offers. The Mets won out with an offer of $750,000, an unusually high total for a player with no major league experience.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: McWilliams has worked as a starter for the majority of his career, but the Mets view him as a reliever now that his stuff has ticked up. After previously sitting 93 mph, McWilliams showed up to spring training in 2020 pitching in the mid-to-high 90s and touching 98 mph. He used the time at the Rays' camp to improve his fastball precision and has historically had average or better control despite long limbs on his 6-foot-7 frame. McWilliams' slider has consistently sharp bite, mid-to-high-80s velocity and is his top secondary pitch. He also threw a fringy curveball and changeup as a starter.
  
  THE FUTURE: Few teams have struggled to generate capable bullpen arms like the Mets of recent vintage, giving McWilliams a prime opportunity to establish himself in the bullpen. He has three minor league options remaining but could work his way into middle relief in 2021.