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The warning signs around new Yankees closer Devin Williams were there since spring training. After he converted 36 of 40 save opportunities in 2023, followed by 14 of 15 in an injury-shortened 2024, the Yankees nabbed the seven-year veteran in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers for lefty starter Nestor Cortes and minor-league infielder Caleb Durbin along with some cash, and anointed him their next great ninth-inning stopper.
Less than a month into the season, Williams has four saves and only one blown chance, but his overall performance has been so alarming that the Yankees demoted him from the closer's spot to non-ninth inning reliever.
The demotion came after a game against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday at Yankee Stadium. Williams entered the ninth inning with a 2-1 lead, a situation in which the Yankees held a 72 percent win expectancy, and proceeded to allow a single, a hit batsman, and a two-run double to cough up the lead. The Blue Jays went on to beat the Yankees 4-2.
That was not the first meltdown for Williams, either — a problem reflected in his head-spinning ERA of 10.00, WHIP of 2.11 and opponents batting average of .316. All career-worst numbers by considerable margins.
The signs that Williams may not feel comfortable pitching in pinstripes showed up early in spring training, when he complained about the Yankees policy against beards — which was subsequently changed after five decades in part due to Williams' gripes.
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Williams also was heard grousing about the number of media members in the Yankees clubhouse, even in spring training. But adjusting to the high level of media scrutiny is an ordinary adjustment any player coming from a small media market such as Milwaukee must handle.
On Wednesday, however, one of Williams' former Brewers teammates, who also happened to be the 2018 National League MVP and a three-time All-Star, offered some comforting words for Williams — and for Yankee fans, if they choose to believe him.
"Devin will be fine. He's one of the best closers in baseball. He's done it for a long time," said Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich, who earned his third All-Star selection last season at age 32.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Yelich went on to attribute the perceptions of Williams' failure on "small sample size."
"It's tough being a reliever when you only have a few innings early in the season and a couple of them don't go your way," Yelich said, per Ryan Morik. "But he'll be fine. He knows what he's getting into in New York. He's pitched in a lot of big games. So I'm not worried about him. He'll be just fine."
In fairness to Williams, his underlying statistics suggest he has pitched better than his numbers, and that he has been the victim of at least some bad luck.
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While his ERA sits in double digits, his fielding independent pitching — a measure of ERA that includes only outcomes a pitcher controls, namely home runs, strikeouts, walks and hit batters — was just 3.75, suggesting that Williams has suffered from subpar fielding behind him, as well as bad luck on batted balls.
Also, while his OBA is high, his opponents batting average on balls in play is even higher, at an even .400. That disparity also suggests Williams' fielders have failed to reach some balls that should have been handled.
Batters are not getting great contact off of Williams, either. His hard-hit percentage — meaning balls that leave the bat traveling at least 95 mph — stood at 33.3 percent prior to Wednesday's action. The MLB average is 40.4 percent, so Williams has done well at preventing hard hits, which are more difficult to field.
The stat is more evidence that Williams has suffered, at least somewhat, due to subpar fielding and bad luck. If those stats hold, and his luck improves, his ex-teammate's assertion that Williams will be "just fine" should at some point prove to be true.
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About the writer
JON VANKIN is a journalist and writer. He is the author of five nonfiction books and nine graphic novels. His ... Read more