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Mason Williams deserves a shot to start in 2017

We all know the Yankees will have a completely different team next year. The organization has already started the youth movement down the stretch of 2016, and they figure to incorporate more baby bombers into the mix next season.

One guy that’s often forgotten about is Mason Williams. Williams, who was once the Yankees’ top prospect a few years ago, kind of fell off the map after struggling in Double-A in 2014 and dealing with a shoulder injury for most of 2015 and part of this year.

However, Williams has responded nicely since the injury, and hit .296/.313/.376 with 23 RBI in 31 games for the Railriders this season. He’s come up to the big leagues to replace the injured Aaron Judge, and has showed good defense, speed and an ability to put the bat on the ball.

If the Yankees can trade either Brett Gardner or Jacoby Ellsbury in the offseason, Williams deserves a shot to be a starter next year.

Gardner will be owed about $24M over the remaining two years of his deal. That’s a pretty friendly contract for a veteran who is a solid MLB player. The Yankees have been rumored to shop Gardner over the last two offseason, so there’s definitely a chance those rumors will continue going forward now that Gardner is getting older. He just turned 33 in August.

I’d be willing to bet that if Williams can remain healthy, he could put up Gardner-type numbers while making rookie-money. It makes sense for what the Yankees are trying to do – get younger, get more athletic and shed payroll. If they could trade Ellsbury, that would be even better, although his contract would be pretty difficult to move.

Williams can play every outfield position. Over the weekend at Fenway, he made some nice plays in the tricky right field corner, which impressed me for someone who never played there before. On Sunday night, he racked up two hits and barreled up the ball nicely. In five games, Williams is hitting .444 (4-for-9) with a double.

Last year before he injured his shoulder, Williams hit .286 (6-for-21) with a homer, three doubles and three RBI in eight games on the big league club. He’s had a small sample size in the majors, but I’ve really liked what I’ve seen from him. Williams is just 25-years-old, which is old for a prospect, but keep in mind this is a guy who was drafted out of high school in the fourth round of the 2010 amateur draft.

Sometimes it takes guys a little longer to develop, but it appears to me that Williams has shown at Triple-A and at the big league level that he can be a serviceable, bottom-of-the-order type player. If he can stay healthy and gets a shot to start next year, I think Yankee fans will be pleasantly surprised.