Jett Williams, Mississippi State signee, goes in first round of MLB Draft

Jett Williams, who has signed to play at Mississippi State, was selected by the New York Mets with the No. 14 overall pick on Sunday night in the MLB Draft.

Williams is notable in the draft class because of his height at 5-foot-8. He has the ability to play at multiple positions around the infield. He’s from Rockwall-Heath High School in Texas, and in the 2022 class, MLB.com rated him as the No. 21 player.

Here’s his draft profile from the MLB Network:

At 5-foot-8, Williams might be the smallest player on our Draft Top 250, but he’s also a favorite gut-feel guy for a lot of scouts. One crosschecker called him the best hitter on the summer showcase circuit, where he raked despite an injury to his right shoulder. The Mississippi State recruit could factor into the middle of the first round, especially to a club that thinks he can stay at shortstop.

With quick hands, feel for the barrel and a quality right-handed stroke, Williams rarely swings and misses and makes line-drive contact with ease. He has no problem handling premium velocity or quality breaking pitches, and his size belies his power. He should produce at least 15 homers per year with his bat speed and deceptive strength, perhaps more if he gets more aggressive about pulling pitches.

Williams has at least plus speed and knows how to use his quickness on the bases and in the field. He has the hands and actions for shortstop, but he didn’t throw well during the summer when his shoulder was bothering him. Some evaluators believe he has solid arm strength when healthy and can stay at short, while others think his arm is more fringy to average and he’ll wind up at second base or center field.

We got our guy. 🤝

With the 14th pick in the #MLBDraft, we have selected SS Jett Williams from Rockwall-Heath (TX). pic.twitter.com/LlgYg4wiI7

— New York Mets (@Mets) July 18, 2022

New York Mets first round pick Jett Williams hugs his high school coach, Greg Harvey, after he was selected 14th overall. They led the Hawks to a state championship last season, and now Jett is a first round pick. pic.twitter.com/E8ui5hJJat

— Joseph Hoyt (@JoeJHoyt) July 18, 2022

Keith Farner

A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.