What you need to know about Mariners’ No. 57 pick, William & Mary third baseman Ben Williamson
Third baseman Ben Williamson, College of William & Mary
Drafted: Second round, 57th overall.
Height: 6-foot.
Weight: 190.
Birth date: Nov. 5, 2000.
Three things to know about Williamson
The first college player taken by the Mariners in the 2023 draft after three high schoolers, Williamson was taken with a higher pick than many analysts projected, but it is expected the Mariners will be able to sign him for under the slotted value of the pick.
The 22-year-old native of Chantilly, Va. — the same hometown as first-round pick Jonny Farmelo — Williamson hit .391 with 12 home runs and 49 RBI as a senior while stealing 14 bases in 15 attempts in being named the 2023 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Player of the Year. He also led the CAA in on-base percentage (.513) and slugging percentage (1.175).
According to a recent story in wydaily.com, Williamson started playing baseball with his father when he was 2 years old. Williamson is working on a Master of Science in Business Analytics but for now is putting baseball first. “The opportunity to play professional baseball would be enough for me,’’ he told wydaily.com earlier this month. “Any team that I could potentially sign for would be a true dream come true.”
Quote to note
“The moment that I realized that playing baseball professionally was an attainable goal was during my freshman or sophomore year of college. I was never a big kid growing up, but I grew into my body as I got older. It really sparked a lot of confidence in me that I could really put my head down and grind out a bunch of hard work to attain this dream.” — Williamson to wydaily.com.
What the scouts say
“Williamson was named to back-to-back All-CAA first teams in 2021 and 2022 with William & Mary, but he went undrafted after his 2022 junior campaign and returned for his senior season. That was great for the program, as Williamson turned in a career-year and was named the CAA player of the year. … Williamson has always shown impressive zone control for his college career and his overall hitting traits are superlative. He hits the ball hard, with an 89 mph average exit velocity, doesn’t chase much out of the zone and made contact at an 87% rate this spring. Williamson has also developed a strong reputation for his defensive ability at third base. He’s spent some time at shortstop in college, but has the tools for the hot corner, with solid range laterally and on slow-rollers in front, and solid-average arm strength for the position as well. After the season, Williamson played for Hyannis in the Cape Cod League and looked like one of the best hitters on the circuit in the first few weeks. Williamson turns 23 years old in November, but he makes a well-rounded senior target coming off a career offensive season.’’ — Baseball America.
Source: The Seattle Times
