Los Angeles Dodgers prospect Kendall Williams was named the Arizona Fall League Pitcher of the Week for the fourth week of the annual elite prospect circuit.
Williams pitched three scoreless innings in his fourth start for the Glendale Desert Dogs, striking out six while only allowing one hit and one walk.
The 23-year-old has pitched to a 4.30 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 14.2 innings across four starts during AFL play. He has given up a combined eight runs (seven earned) on 13 hits while walking two hitters and allowing four home runs.
Williams is also fifth in the AFL with a 1.02 WHIP and opponents are hitting just .228 against him.
During the 2023 season, Williams went 4-7 with a 3.73 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 79.2 innings pitched between the Dodgers’ Rookie-level affiliate, High-A Great Lake Loons, Double-A Tulsa Drillers and Triple-A Oklahoma City. In total he pitched 17 games, making 16 starts.
Williams was acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays during the 2020 season in a trade that sent Ross Stripling to the Great White North. At the time of the deal, some scouts believed Williams had top-of-the-rotation potential.
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman also spoke highly of him when the trade was completed. “We are definitely getting a guy we like and feel like will fit in really well with our next crop of prospects that are coming,” he said.
Over the course of his Minor League career, Williams has pitched to a 4.06 ERA across 73 games, striking out 264 hitters with a 1.33 WHIP in 299.1 innings.
The right-hander is one of eight Dodgers prospects on the Desert Dogs roster, which also includes Ben Casparius, Damon Keith, Jake Pilarski, Ryan Sublette and Jake Vogel.
The Desert Dogs roster is composed of prospects from the Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets and Minnesota Twins.
Kendall Williams won Minor League award in July
Williams was among the three Dodgers Minor Leaguers honored for their month of July as he was named the Midwest League Pitcher of the Month.
He earned the honors after he pitched to a 1.90 ERA in five starts while limiting opponents to just five earned runs on 13 hits over 23.2 innings in the month.
The 22-year-old struck out 23 batters and held opponents to a .155 average. In addition, the right-hander allowed just one earned run over a three-start span covering 13.2 innings.
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