Devin Williams

Devin Williams

30-Year-Old PitcherRP
Milwaukee Brewers
2024 Fantasy Outlook
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. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
Rest of Season From Preseason
#145
ADP
$Signed a one-year, $7 million contract with the Brewers in January of 2024. The Brewers declined the $10.5 million team option ($250,000 buyout) for 2025 in November of 2024.
Option declined, still with Milwaukee
PMilwaukee Brewers
November 3, 2024
The Brewers declined Williams' $10 million club option for 2025 on Sunday, though he remains in the organization and is entering his final year of arbitration eligibility, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
The right-hander is estimated to make a bit less through the arbitration process, so Milwaukee will pay the $250,000 buyout while targeting a slightly lower salary. Williams didn't debut in 2024 until late July due to a back injury -- which is why his estimated salary for 2025 should be under $10 million -- but he was again one of the best closers in baseball once healthy with a 1.25 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 38:11 K:BB across 21.2 innings. He's a candidate to be moved during the offseason, as Brewers GM Matt Arnold said the organization will "stay open-minded" regarding a potential trade, per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.
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Pitching Stats
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2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
18
Last 10 Games
18
Last 5 Games
20
How many pitches does Devin Williams generally throw?
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
What part of the game does Devin Williams generally pitch?
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2022
 
 
-31%
BAA vs RHP
2024
 
 
-24%
BAA vs LHP
2023
 
 
-30%
BAA vs RHP
2022
 
 
-47%
BAA vs RHP
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2022vs Left .167 261 72 34 37 7 0 3
Since 2022vs Right .115 298 149 35 30 8 0 4
2024vs Left .114 42 15 6 4 0 0 1
2024vs Right .150 46 23 5 6 4 0 0
2023vs Left .152 118 26 18 15 4 0 0
2023vs Right .107 113 61 10 11 2 0 4
2022vs Left .207 101 31 10 18 3 0 2
2022vs Right .110 139 65 20 13 2 0 0
More Splits View More Split Stats
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2022
 
 
-46%
ERA at Home
2024
 
 
-100%
ERA at Home
2023
 
 
-50%
ERA at Home
2022
 
 
-12%
ERA at Home
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2022Home 1.19 0.75 75.2 8 4 33 14.4 3.8 0.2
Since 2022Away 2.20 1.21 65.1 7 3 32 13.8 5.1 0.7
2024Home 0.00 0.33 12.0 1 0 7 15.0 2.3 0.0
2024Away 2.79 1.76 9.2 0 0 7 16.8 7.4 0.9
2023Home 1.07 0.80 33.2 5 1 18 13.4 4.3 0.3
2023Away 2.16 1.08 25.0 3 2 18 13.3 4.3 1.1
2022Home 1.80 0.87 30.0 2 3 8 15.3 3.9 0.3
2022Away 2.05 1.14 30.2 4 1 7 13.2 5.0 0.3
More Splits View More Split Stats
Stat Review
How does Devin Williams compare to other relievers?
This section compares his stats with all relief pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 30 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 30 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • K/BB
    Strikeout to walk ratio.
  • K/9
    Average strikeouts per nine innings.
  • BB/9
    Average walks per nine innings.
  • HR/9
    Average home runs allowed per nine innings.
  • Fastball
    Average fastball velocity.
  • ERA
    Earned run average. The average earned runs allowed per nine innings.
  • WHIP
    Walks plus hits per inning pitched.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many balls in play against a pitcher go for hits.
  • GB/FB
    Groundball to flyball ratio. The higher the number, the more likely a pitcher is to induce groundballs.
  • Left On Base
    The percentage of base runners that a pitcher strands on base over the course of a season.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Barrels/BBE
    The percentage of batted ball events resulting in a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Spin Rate
    Spin Rate is the rate of spin on a baseball after it is released. It is measured in revolutions per minute (rpm).
  • Balls Hit 95+ MPH
    The percentage of batted balls hit that met or exceeded the 95 MPH threshold.
  • Swinging Strike
    The percentage of pitches that result in a swing and a miss.
K/BB
3.45
 
K/9
15.8
 
BB/9
4.6
 
HR/9
0.4
 
Fastball
94.8 mph
 
ERA
1.25
 
WHIP
0.97
 
BABIP
.280
 
GB/FB
1.14
 
Left On Base
91.8%
 
Exit Velocity
80.0 mph
 
Barrels/BBE
2.9%
 
Spin Rate
2489 rpm
 
Balls Hit 95+ MPH
15.4%
 
Swinging Strike
18.5%
 
Prospect Rankings History
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2022
2021
2020
2017
2016
2015
2014
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.
More Fantasy News
Up to 14 saves
PMilwaukee Brewers
September 26, 2024
Williams earned the save in Thursday's 5-2 win over Pittsburgh, allowing one hit while striking out one in a scoreless ninth inning.
ANALYSIS
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Picks up 13th save
PMilwaukee Brewers
September 23, 2024
Williams struck out two and issued a walk in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save Sunday against the Diamondbacks.
ANALYSIS
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Secures 12th save
PMilwaukee Brewers
September 13, 2024
Williams struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Friday's 2-1 win over the Diamondbacks.
ANALYSIS
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Fans two for 11th save
PMilwaukee Brewers
September 13, 2024
Williams picked up the save over the Giants on Thursday, allowing two hits over a scoreless ninth inning while striking out two.
ANALYSIS
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Earns save Tuesday
PMilwaukee Brewers
September 11, 2024
Williams earned a save against the Giants on Tuesday, allowing a hit and a walk while striking out two during a scoreless ninth inning.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Will be dangled on trade market
PMilwaukee Brewers
November 4, 2024
The Brewers are seen as likely to trade Williams this winter, rival executives told Jeff Passan of ESPN.com.
ANALYSIS
Williams is expected to make around $8 million in his final year of arbitration eligibility. While the Brewers can certainly afford that salary, it's unlikely they would pony up on a long-term contract, so trading Williams now would make sense. Williams missed more than half of the 2024 season while recovering from a back injury but was excellent after returning, posting a 1.25 ERA with 38 strikeouts over 21.1 innings during the regular season. Trevor Megill would be the logical option to close games for the Brewers if they trade Williams.
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