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  6. article_body => "<p>Remember Nick Williams?&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The prospect shine has&nbsp;worn off the Phillies\u2019 26-year-old corner outfielder, who has become somewhat of a forgotten man on the 40-man roster.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Williams finds himself competing for a spot on the Phils\u2019 bench. Andrew McCutchen\u2019s delayed season debut opens up a potential opportunity for Williams in early April in what appears to be his&nbsp;last chance at meaningful playing time with the Phillies.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>There are several reasons that&nbsp;Williams, the Phillies\u2019 last piece left from the Cole Hamels-to-Texas trade in 2015, has not carved out a role here. The bat hasn't been consistent enough.&nbsp;He showed flashes of pinch-hitting value&nbsp;in 2018 but struggled as a starter and extra man in 2019 and at&nbsp;times&nbsp;looked checked out.<\/p>\n<p>Defensively,&nbsp;Williams has never been an option in center field. He was one of the Phillies\u2019 only outfielders the last two seasons whom previous manager Gabe Kapler flat out&nbsp;said was not an option in CF. In the corners, Williams\u2019 defense has been average at best. He has a strong arm but his range,&nbsp;reads and&nbsp;instincts have been&nbsp;below average.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Williams sticks out as a player the Phillies could trim from the 40-man roster at some point this season when they need room. A trade remains a possibility, though it\u2019s unrealistic to expect much in return. Maybe Williams brings back a reliever on the fringes of another team\u2019s bullpen. Another club&nbsp;will eventually take a chance on him because of the tools and perceived upside.<\/p>\n<p>The Phillies\u2019 trade deadline return for Hamels and lefty reliever Jake Diekman in 2015 appeared solid at the time but did not pan out. Jake Thompson was let go&nbsp;by the Phils in 2018 and is currently in camp with the Angels. Alec Asher made only 12 appearances here before being traded to Baltimore. Jerad Eickhoff had a promising start to his Phillies career but needed a change of scenery after an ugly 2019&nbsp;and signed with the Padres in December.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The most impactful piece of that trade for the Phillies was Jorge Alfaro, who has provided this organization value because he (and Sixto Sanchez) led&nbsp;to J.T. Realmuto.<\/p>\n<p>When Williams\u2019 time with the Phillies comes to an end, the book will close on that Hamels trade, another in the long list of deals&nbsp;in which quantity didn't trump quality.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Subscribe and rate Phillies Talk:<br><a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/at-the-yard\/id1214369445?mt=2\">Apple Podcasts<\/a>&nbsp;\/&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/music\/listen?authuser#\/ps\/Ib3ow2unfxugkqngfv5yvydpzru\">Google Play<\/a>&nbsp;\/&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/6hUU2XdNVyIhqIrsjxnqLd\">Spotify<\/a>&nbsp;\/&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.stitcher.com\/podcast\/nbc-sports-philadelphia\/at-the-yard-with-jim-salisbury?refid=stpr\">Stitcher<\/a>&nbsp;\/&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/art19.com\/shows\/at-the-yard\">Art19<\/a>&nbsp;\/&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCXenWaHGZz4Ey4BObUUIyZQ\" target=\"_blank\">YouTube<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/art19.com\/shows\/at-the-yard\/episodes\/e7ae2a0e-74e3-4c91-9497-1332d40fbeb6\/embed\" style=\"width: 100%; height: 200px; border: 0 none;\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe> \n<h3 dir=\"ltr\" id=\"docs-internal-guid-b29b93cf-7fff-2a41-8fb4-f3e496d22e4f\"><strong>More on the Phillies<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/philadelphia\/phillies\/phillies-left-field-battle-andrew-mccutchen-out-opening-day\">Which Phillie has best chance to fill McCutchen's spot early in season?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/philadelphia\/phillies\/phillies-bullpen-hector-neris-splitter\">The pitcher more indispensable than ever for 2020 Phils<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/philadelphia\/phillies\/ken-giles-world-series-ring-2017-astros-cheating-scandal\">Former Astros\/Phils closer would give back WS ring if asked<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/philadelphia\/phillies\/ranger-suarez-nick-pivetta-vince-velasquez-starting-rotation\">Ranger Suarez becoming legitimate option for Phillies\u2019 fifth starter<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/philadelphia\/phillies\/seranthony-dominguez-phillies-bullpen-opening-day\">Will Seranthony Dominguez be ready for Phillies\u2019 opener?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n"
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Phillies

Phillies

Remember Nick Williams? 

The prospect shine has worn off the Phillies’ 26-year-old corner outfielder, who has become somewhat of a forgotten man on the 40-man roster. 

Williams finds himself competing for a spot on the Phils’ bench. Andrew McCutchen’s delayed season debut opens up a potential opportunity for Williams in early April in what appears to be his last chance at meaningful playing time with the Phillies. 

There are several reasons that Williams, the Phillies’ last piece left from the Cole Hamels-to-Texas trade in 2015, has not carved out a role here. The bat hasn't been consistent enough. He showed flashes of pinch-hitting value in 2018 but struggled as a starter and extra man in 2019 and at times looked checked out.

Defensively, Williams has never been an option in center field. He was one of the Phillies’ only outfielders the last two seasons whom previous manager Gabe Kapler flat out said was not an option in CF. In the corners, Williams’ defense has been average at best. He has a strong arm but his range, reads and instincts have been below average. 

Williams sticks out as a player the Phillies could trim from the 40-man roster at some point this season when they need room. A trade remains a possibility, though it’s unrealistic to expect much in return. Maybe Williams brings back a reliever on the fringes of another team’s bullpen. Another club will eventually take a chance on him because of the tools and perceived upside.

 

The Phillies’ trade deadline return for Hamels and lefty reliever Jake Diekman in 2015 appeared solid at the time but did not pan out. Jake Thompson was let go by the Phils in 2018 and is currently in camp with the Angels. Alec Asher made only 12 appearances here before being traded to Baltimore. Jerad Eickhoff had a promising start to his Phillies career but needed a change of scenery after an ugly 2019 and signed with the Padres in December. 

The most impactful piece of that trade for the Phillies was Jorge Alfaro, who has provided this organization value because he (and Sixto Sanchez) led to J.T. Realmuto.

When Williams’ time with the Phillies comes to an end, the book will close on that Hamels trade, another in the long list of deals in which quantity didn't trump quality. 

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