Dom Thompson-Williams

Position: CF
Level: SS A
Affiliate: Staten Island Yankees
League:
Age: 21 yrs, 3m
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 185
B/T: Left / Left
Acquired: 5th Rd, 2016 MLB First-Year Player Draft (NYY)

Prospect Spotlight

While three of New York’s first four picks in this summer’s draft were spent on either high school or JUCO talent, the Yankees proceeded to load up on college bats and arms with subsequent picks. At the forefront of the transition was Thompson-Williams, whom New York plucked in the fifth round after the 21-year-old enjoyed a versatile junior season at South Carolina (.321/.418/.517, 8 HR, 18 SB across 64 games). The organization gave him a $250,000 signing bonus and sent him to the NYPL shortly thereafter, where he currently owns a .243/.350/.316 slash with two home runs and 14 stolen bases in 41 contests.

Thompson-Williams’ most useful present tool is his speed, which projects to be an above-average asset for him at the next level. His 6-foot frame was slightly stockier than I had expected; he is naturally athletic and strong in his lower half, and still has some room to pack on muscle above the waist. Thompson developed a reputation for plate discipline in college ball (81 BB/89 K over three seasons), and the numbers suggest that has carried over to his first tour of pro ball (21 BB/31 K). That patience and the ability to work the count wasn’t consistently on display in the live look, however. He expanded the zone and generally looked uncomfortable against lefty Cole Irvin (Williamsport), flailing at sliders and changeups in the dirt on a handful of occasions, a few of which are viewable in the video package below. Thompson-Williams was able to draw a walk against right-handed reliever Blake Quinn (Williamsport), appearing more comfortable and patient at the plate.

Here is my video of Thompson-Williams, from August 5th.

Thompson-Williams’ skills with the bat are still raw and require mechanical refinement. He does have quick hands, a level bat path and a compact stroke. However, his approach at the plate is mostly slap-oriented with a lot of ground ball and short line-drive trajectories and average overall bat speed. His raw power is below average at present and projects to be the same at maturity, though he showed gap-power potential in BP, which could project to average if he fills out more. He’s got some pre-swing bat wrap, which tends to slow his hands in his load. This often leaves him susceptible to fastballs up in the strike zone, and right now that appears to be an exploitable spot for pitchers to target to get him out. He’ll need to incorporate his lower half more effectively to drive the ball, as there are are a lot of moving and inconsistent parts at present. His front foot tends to be slow in getting planted and he can get caught flat-footed when fooled. He also interchanges a single and double toe touch and varies the height of his leg kick pre-swing, which appears to mess up his ability to prepare for different offerings.

Considering everything, Thompson-Williams is still a ways away from being ready to handle advanced pitching at the higher pro levels. However, there are some tools to like here. He has plus speed and plus defensive range in center with an average arm, which could ultimately profile him best as a contact-first center fielder with an ability to contribute as a base-stealing threat for a big league roster down the road. How efficiently the power and contact skills develop will ultimately determine how quickly he advances through the Yankees’ system.