An Unbeatable Support System Has Jett Williams Ready to Make an Impact in Milwaukee

[Matthew Trueblood]

Image courtesy of © Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It's always good to be versatile, but most players readily admit that they have a favorite position—and a preference to play there regularly, rather than pinballing around from spot to spot throughout the season. That's one way in which Jett Williams is unusual.

"I really don't know," he said with a laugh, when asked this week to name his favorite spot. "I like all of them, really. As long as I'm on the field, it doesn't really matter to me."

Williams isn't one of those guys who was anchored to shortstop or center field even as a kid, and was forced to pick up other positions upon entering professional baseball. He's played multiple positions on every team since Little League, and feels that his lack of attachment to any one position makes him better at each of them. This spring, he's worked at shortstop, second base, third base, center field and left field, and said he's comfortable at all of them. Because he's least familiar with third base, that's been a particular area of focus in his daily work with Matt Erickson, but most of that extra work came early in camp. Williams said he generally works at whichever position he'll play that day, on game days, and on others, his work is spread pretty evenly. The common thread tying it together is Erickson.

"I think with him, it's just picking his brain—figuring out what I can do better, figuring out what I can do to become an elite-level shortstop, second baseman, third, whatever it may be," Williams said. "It's just about good communication. I think that's the big thing: whenever you show up, just give him, whether it's 15, 20 minutes of your time, and just kind of go all-out and see how much better you can get from the start of spring to the end of it."

If Williams is to overcome below-average arm strength and cut it as a big-league defender on the left side of the infield, Erickson will be due a good portion of the credit. However, when it comes to offense, the dynamic Williams is getting lots of help elsewhere. 

"I have my own hitting coach that I've been working with since I was eight years old," Williams said. "We talk every single day. He knows where I'm going wrong, when I'm going good, when I'm going bad, he can just tell when I'm in the box, which is nice. Growing up, I kind of fell in love with watching my swing. and obviously I know my swing even better than him, but he sees a little bit of different stuff—stuff that I don't probably think of."

That coach is Aldrey Rincones, co-founder of 7AR Baseball Academy, a training facility in Fate, Texas—near Williams's hometown of Rockwall, just east of Dallas. Rincones was born in Venezuela, but immigrated to the United States as an adolescent and graduated from Rockwall High School. He and former big-league catcher Robinson Chirinos founded 7AR together in 2018, by which time Williams had been working with Rincones for half a decade. Few players can boast a more consistent coaching influence than that. Now, however, he also has another welcome voice in his ear: Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman.

"Honestly, I have no idea," Williams said, when asked how that connection came to be. "I'd just gotten drafted [in 2022] and he DMed me, and then we kind of went from there. I went and worked out with him in this offseason."

The two stayed loosely in touch for the next few years, but drew closer in 2025.

"Last year during the season, he called me and was talking through swing stuff with me, and then I went on a two-week period where I was Player of the Week, two weeks in a row," Williams recalled. "He called me back like, 'I should be your hitting coach now.'"

Williams won't be substituting the wisdom of his friend, mentor and new division rival for that of his coaches, either with the Brewers or back home. However, he believes he's already learned a lot from his time with the three-time All-Star. He found Bregman to be a great resource not only on swing mechanics, but in approach and visual cues in the batter's box, and as an exemplar for a successful offseason routine. The two spent considerable time together at Bregman's home, too, talking about subjects ranging beyond baseball. 

His new manager sees all of that work coming together, as Williams knocks on the door to the big leagues.

"Kid's a ballplayer," Pat Murphy told reporters. "Give me the credit that I know a ballplayer when I run into one, you know what I mean?"

Murphy was quick to note that Williams is only 22 years old, and acknowledged that he's likely to start the season at Triple-A Nashville. That doesn't mean he'll end it there, though. Given his versatility and dynamism, there's every reason to believe Williams will be a key piece of the team by the stretch run. The skipper has also noticed something else, which sets the diminutive Williams apart from the similarly short Caleb Durbin in a way that extends beyond his toolsier profile.

"Jett expects [to succeed] more than Durbin did," Murphy said. Backed by the league's best coaching staff, a long-time partner and hitting guru, and a veteran star, Williams seems to be aiming toward something that was always likely to elude Durbin: full-fledged stardom of his own.

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[wiguy94]

@Matthew Trueblood is Williams dealing with a small injury or something? Hasn't played since the 23rd.

[Matthew Trueblood]

2 minutes ago, wiguy94 said:

@Matthew Trueblood is Williams dealing with a small injury or something? Hasn't played since the 23rd.

I've noticed that too and will ask about it. I think it's more about getting in work away from the game action. When we've asked whether anyone is dealing with something as-yet unreported, his name has not come up. He's not among the (many) guys who have something wrapped in the clubhouse and has been lifting, running, hitting and fielding, so I'd guess this is purely a developmental thing, but not positive.

[wiguy94]

1 minute ago, Matthew Trueblood said:

I've noticed that too and will ask about it. I think it's more about getting in work away from the game action. When we've asked whether anyone is dealing with something as-yet unreported, his name has not come up. He's not among the (many) guys who have something wrapped in the clubhouse and has been lifting, running, hitting and fielding, so I'd guess this is purely a developmental thing, but not positive.

Thanks. It could just be trying to get Ortiz and Turang more reps before they head off to the WBC. Then Williams will get more game reps in.

[Matthew Trueblood]

11 minutes ago, wiguy94 said:

Thanks. It could just be trying to get Ortiz and Turang more reps before they head off to the WBC. Then Williams will get more game reps in.

Definitely possible. A lot of things about the daily lineups will change starting tomorrow.

[Brewersfan1]

5 hours ago, wiguy94 said:

Thanks. It could just be trying to get Ortiz and Turang more reps before they head off to the WBC. Then Williams will get more game reps in.

To a lesser extent throw in Fischer, Zamora and Black. Just more innings to fill. Not a bad problem to have.. Get them all playing!!