Devin Williams

After another spectacular season in 2023, Williams finds himself at the center of trade rumors - similar to former teammate Josh Hader a few years ago. Williams is under team control for 2 more seasons before he becomes a free-agent in 2026 and there's no question he would command a haul if Milwaukee were to trade him. For now, the 2-time All-Star enters 2024 as the Brewers' unquestioned closer after tallying a career-high 36 saves last season. Williams' devastating "Airbender" changeup remained effective (.097 BAA), while his mid-90's 4-seamer generated a career-best 42% whiff rate. His walk rate was poor, but consistent with recent outputs and he improved his ratios for the second consecutive year. The right hander's 1.53 ERA was 6th-best among qualified relievers, while his 0.92 WHIP was 4th-best. Consistency is what you can expect from Williams, who is a candidate to be the first closer off the board in drafts this spring.

Williams made his first All Star team in 2022 after an impressive first half as Milwaukee's setup man. Once Josh Hader was traded, many assumed Williams would become the Brewers primary closer, but the team used him as part of a committee for a bit before finally turning things over during the final month. Williams finished with a career high 15 saves, including seven of Milwaukee's last nine. Momentum is certainly on his side as we forecast closers for 2023, especially since his Statcast metrics were off the charts. Williams was 99th percentile or better across nine diffferent metrics, including strikeout rate and hard hit rate. The one area that continues to be a problem is walks, but that's bound to happen when you have insane movement on your changeup - a pitch so filthy that it has its own nickname. While the "Airbender" gets the attention, Williams really improved the effectiveness of his 4-seamer (.090 BAA), which supplemented the change as a secondary strikeout pitch.

The 2020 National League Rookie of the Year and Reliever of the Year was expected to regress a bit last season after posting ridiculous numbers in the COVID-19 shortened campaign. Williams' 2021 journey ended up being a roller coaster that left and returned to the station on a bumpy track. He struggled early on with a 4.19 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 12 walks across 19.1 innings through the end of May. From June through August, he was lights-out with a 0.60 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 48:12 K:BB over 30 innings. Williams even recorded the first three saves of his career before he fractured his right hand while celebrating Milwaukee's NL Central division title. He ended up missing the playoffs, which was a big blow to the Brewers. Williams finished the season with eight wins, 23 holds and a respectable 2.50 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. He is expected to be ready for spring training in his familiar setup role to Josh Hader.

Williams was not guaranteed a spot in the Brewers' bullpen heading into last season, but my, how things change. That last word is key, as Williams' changeup helped him transition from afterthought to one of the best relievers in the league. Williams threw the pitch more than half the time and coupled that with a fastball that averaged a tick under 97 mph. He threw a slider here and there, but on the strength of his two-pitch mix he allowed just one earned run and averaged just shy of two punchouts out per inning. Relievers -- particularly those that don't close -- rarely factor into the ROY mix, but Williams was so good he took home the award in the NL. He was named the top NL Reliever to boot. On the heels of his dominant campaign, Williams will be one of the top relievers to target in fantasy circles. If Josh Hader is moved in the offseason, only a couple relievers would be more desirable in fantasy drafts than Williams.

After working mostly as a starter for his first five seasons as a professional, Williams transitioned to a full-time relief role in 2019 and the move immediately paid dividends. The right-hander started the season with Double-A Biloxi, where he pitched well enough to be selected for the Futures Game. He ultimately earned a promotion to Triple-A San Antonio in late July after compiling a 2.36 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 53.1 innings with the Shuckers. Williams made three scoreless appearances for the Missions before earning a promotion to the majors, where he posted a 3.95 ERA, 1.76 WHIP and 14:6 K:BB across 13.2 innings down the stretch. The 25-year-old showed reverse splits with both Biloxi and the big-league club. Williams will probably have to cut down on his walks (13.2 BB% at Double-A in 2019) if he wants to become a reliable bullpen piece for the Brewers in 2020.

Williams already has an average-to-plus changeup to go with a fastball capable of hitting 95 mph. That alone gives Williams, Milwaukee's second-round pick, a good chance of eventually landing in a major league rotation. Add the fact that the 6-foot-3 righty has room to bulk up and continues to improve his breaking pitches and it's looking like the 22-year-old can travel quickly up the organizational ladder. The question will be if he can overcome his control, which has been shaky at best in his professional career. Williams walked more than four batters per nine innings at both Low-A and High-A, and while he has been nasty enough to get away with it thus far, the upper levels of professional ball won't be so kind. In order to continue his development as a starter, Williams needs to show signs of improving his control in 2017.

Williams spent his first season in the minors in 2015, playing for Low-A Wisconsin. He's only 21-years old, but already has three full seasons in the Brewers' organization and is one of their top prospects on the rise. Despite a 3-9 record, Williams posted a 3.44 ERA and 1.25 WHIP on the mound in the 2015 season after coming off a forearm strain that kept him out until late May. Looking ahead to the 2016 season, Williams will continue to climb through the minors but it looks unlikely to expect him to make the big league roster in the next year.

Since being taken out of high school in the second round of the 2013 draft, Williams has fooled hitters with 105 strikeouts in 101 innings, thanks mainly to his quality fastball that hovers in the low-to-mid 90s. His ERA slipped from his first season to his second, but he cut his walks in half, and has given up just five home runs as a pro. After spending the last two seasons in rookie ball, he could see his first action at the Low-A level in 2014.

The Brewers lost their first-round pick last season after signing Kyle Lohse, but they still snagged Williams, whom some considered a first-round talent, in the middle of the second round. Williams already throws a fastball in the mid-90s, and he could add more velocity as he matures. He still has some work to do on his curveball and changeup, and will need to cut down his walks, but he threw the ball well in his professional debut, posting a 3.38 ERA and striking out 39 batters over 34.2 innings. Williams will not turn 20 until next offseason, so the Brewers may opt to keep him in the Rookie Leagues for now. However, Williams has the potential to be a top-end starter a few years down the road.