Phillies outfielder Nick Williams showing he was ready all along

Since being called up to the majors, Nick Williams has been a steady contributor to the Phillies lineup, showing he was ready for a promotion to the majors.

Nick Williams is the ninth player to make his debut for the Phillies this year, but none have had as an immediate impact as him.

Williams already has five hits through his first five games, including a double. He started off his major-league career with a four-game winning streak, the longest hitting streak to debut with since Jimmy Rollins hit in six straight games when he was called up in 2000.

Williams has had this opportunity because he has been in the lineup every day since his promotion. Manager Pete Mackanin has slotted Williams in both left and right field as Mackanin tries to juggle playing time between Williams, Aaron Altherr, and Daniel Nava in the corner outfield.

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Mackanin told Stephen Gross of the Morning Call that Williams has impressed since being promoted:

"“He looks good,” Mackanin said before Williams suited up for the first time at Citizens Bank Park. “I like the fact that he’s happy to be here, he’s smiling, he’s playing with energy and he’s swinging the bat aggressively. So far, I like what I see.”"

Williams came into the major-leagues strong because he spent a season and a half in Triple-A. After a rather poor 2016 campaign, Williams came into the 2017 season looking to improve upon his game. He has improved with his plate discipline, walking at a below-average but tolerable clip of 5.2% this year in 78 games in Triple-A. In June, Williams walked nine times in 114 plate appearances, which is more than acceptable considering his track record of poor plate discipline.

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He also improved his performance against left-handed pitchers, posting a .669 OPS against them. While it isn’t great, it’s far better than his .571 OPS against lefties in 2016.

Perhaps the biggest improvement has been his power at the plate. Williams always had big raw power, but applying it in games was a struggle because of his lack of plate discipline. In 125 games in Lehigh Valley in 2016, Williams managed 13 home runs. This season, he racked up 15 home runs in 78 games. Just two of those came in April, but he caught fire in May, hitting eight that month before knocking five in June.

If this pattern is any indication, his power should come in time at the major-league level as well.

As a whole, Williams hit for a .280/.328/.511 slash line with a 128 wRC+ in Triple-A this year. While his on-base numbers aren’t great, his power and defense should help make him an above-average player in time.

Next: Aaron Nola finding himself on the mound

Seeing Williams make an immediate impact upon reaching the majors supports the notion that promoting prospects can help the Phillies succeed this season.