Sweeny: Meet Mason Williams, The Yankees' Top Prospect
By Sweeny Murti
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A lot of things are going Mason Williams' way these days.
He was named Player of the Year in the New York-Penn League last year and that helped vault him into the top five on Baseball America's Yankees prospect list. And now with Jesus Montero headed to Seattle, Williams is considered by some to be the best prospect in the Yankee organization.
Oh, and his New England Patriots are headed to the Super Bowl. Before you hate him for being a Pats fan, you should probably know that Mason's father was a backup wide receiver for the Patriots in the mid-1980s. I sat with father and son this past weekend as Mason took part in his first ever autograph signing at a baseball card show in White Plains.
Derwin Williams proudly wore his 1985 AFC Championship ring and fended off the jabs from his son about getting hammered by the Bears 46-10 in the Super Bowl. Mason laughed easily at that one, and laughed even more when--through the modern miracles of the I-Phone and YouTube--he watched The Super Bowl Shuffle for the first time.
Mason Williams will not be in major league spring training next month and he won't even sniff Yankee Stadium turf for a few more years. But he is beginning to turn enough heads that his name is one you should know. He is an athletic center fielder who had a breakout offensive season for the Staten Island Yankees in 2011.
Here is my conversation with Mason Williams, taped Sunday morning in White Plains:
Podcast
Mason Williams is 20 years old. He sounds like a kid who's beginning to have a lot of fun playing and is starting to make big strides in his game. That should make 2012 an interesting year in his development. Follow Mason Williams on Twitter @MjordanW9.
Sweeny Murti
Yankees@wfan.com
www.twitter.com/YankeesWFAN
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