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Devin Williams 2023 Player Outlook: Potential To Be Ace Closer With Role To Himself
2 years agoDevin Williams has been arguably the best setup man in baseball for some time. When the Brewers traded away Josh Hader last Summer, Williams was able to settle in as the main closer and is set to have that role all to himself in 2023. In 2022, Williams had a career-high 60.2 IP with a 6-4 W-L record, 1.93 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 15 saves and 96 Ks. According to Statcast, Williams ranked first in xBA, xSLG and Barrel% in 2022 so there was nothing flukey about what he did last year. Since debuting in 2019, there has been 334 pitchers with at least 150 IP and only Hader and Edwin Diaz have a better K% than Williams (39.5%). You can look at his 12.5% BB% (fourth percentile) last year and be concerned but his ridiculous strikeout numbers and lack of quality contact he offers up will mitigate that. If you consider Williams has a 12.4% K% over the last two seasons yet still has a 2.20 ERA, 2.62 xFIP and 2.66 SIERA in that span, the walks should not put you off from drafting Williams. He's being taken as the sixth relief pitcher in drafts with an ADP of ~51 but it wouldn't come as a surprise if he ended the season as a top-3 closer and possibly end 2023 as the number one reliever in fantasy.
