M’s send top prospect Young, 3B Williamson to minor league camp

PEORIA, Ariz. – The Seattle Mariners opened camp with 73 players on their spring training roster, saw that number grow to 75 with a couple of additions, and with just over a week before camp breaks, they are down to 43.

The cuts get tougher as Opening Day grows closer, and Sunday morning saw Cole Young and Ben Williamson – two infielders who could very well make their big league debuts in the upcoming season – become the latest to make their way from the major league side of the Mariners’ complex in Peoria to the minor league side.

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The pair received the news from Dan Wilson who himself has been in a similar situation years ago. Being on the other side of the desk is a new experience for Wilson, one that has a different gravitas than any of the other “news” he has encountered in managing his first big league camp.

“It’s a difficult thing to get sent out of camp,” he said shortly after giving the news to Young and Williamson. “They are always very difficult conversations. It’s something that you need to handle with care, as much care as you can. But the idea is to send guys over there with an idea of what it’s going to take to get back.

“I remember getting sent out of camp. Some guys want to take a day. Some guys don’t want to take a day. But at the end of the day, this is an organization that cares about people. We want to give them the best experience we can in that and give them direction on where they’re going to head.”

That direction comes in the form of a player plan that is carefully put together by the staff. While there are no guarantees you will get the call if you check all the boxes, the plan for continued development is placed in their hands. In the case of Williamson and Young, they are starting from a good place having made strong impressions in big league camp.

“Ben has really taken strides quickly getting up to Double-A last year,” said Wilson. “He’s made some great defensive plays. He’s had some really good at-bats. He’s really a smart, heady player with the physical tools to go with it, and it’s been a great camp for him, fun to watch him play.”

Young who received a good look for a second straight year in big league camp also took a step forward, according to Wilson.

“Cole is a complete player,” he said. “He swings the bat very, very well from the left side. He’s he’s a very good defender as well. Can run a little bit, I mean he he is what you want. It’s just he’s still young and still learning the game, and has progressed very, very quickly as well.”

Young and Williamson leave big league camp having direction in what to do. Player plans are revisited and updated throughout the year. They have become an integral part of player development and perhaps are of most impact in the the spring when a player is on the cusp of breaking through.

“I think it’s imperative,” said Wilson. “I think as a player you have a question, ‘What do I have to do to get back?’ And being able to give them some direction on that is huge. It helps them. One of the things we’ve talked a lot about here is identity, and who are you as a player and how can you rest into that as you go to the minor league camp and as you go into your minor league season. And I think that’s a really big point for us and helps a guy really understand who he is as a player. Then he can just go out and execute that. And I think at the end of the day, that’s the important part.”

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