Alika Williams embracing utility role for Pirates, proving his bat is better than expected

Alika Williams never had played anywhere but shortstop or second base before this season, when he started taking grounders at other infield positions and even shagging flies in the outfield.

Williams knew his best chance of making the Pittsburgh Pirates out of spring training might be as a utility player, so he kept an open mind about being a strong defender at any position.

“It’s very important to be able to play all three, even four — throw me in at first, if you need me,” Williams said. “In my role this year, it’s about helping the team wherever I can win games, whether that’s playing first, second or third, catch, outfield. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

Where Williams made the team thanks to his great glove up the middle, he might earn more playing time because of his bat. Williams is batting .294 (5 for 17) with a .333 on-base percentage in his first five games and could get an opportunity for a start at shortstop with Oneil Cruz struggling.

Cruz has seven strikeouts in nine at-bats over the past two games, and his 29 strikeouts are the second-most in the majors behind Colorado Rockies outfielder Nolan Jones (30). Cruz’s 38.2% strikeout rate ranks in the third percentile of all MLB hitters, per Statcast.

“We’ve just got to get him to be a little more aggressive,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said of Cruz on SportsNet Pittsburgh following his three strikeouts in Monday’s 6-3 loss to the New York Mets. “It seems he’s been a little passive on strikes.”

Williams, by contrast, has been aggressive at the plate. A 2020 first-round pick of the Tampa Bay Rays out of Arizona State, where he slashed .333/.429/.474 as a sophomore, Williams was acquired by the Pirates last June in a trade for right-handed reliever Robert Stephenson.

After hitting .198 in 46 games for the Pirates last season, Williams spent the offseason strength training to add 20 pounds to his 6-foot-1 frame. He has a hit in four of his five games, including a two-run triple March 31 at Miami and a two-hit game at Washington on April 1.

“I had a little taste of the bigs last year, and I had a really good idea of what I needed to do,” Williams said. “I feel good about the offseason that I had, putting on some weight and putting on some strength. I hope there’s some homers there, too. It’s really about getting my mechanics set in stone, especially in my role, and just putting the bat on the ball consistently, advance runners and drop down bunts and stuff like that.”

Williams played exclusively at his natural position for the Pirates last season, starting 33 games and playing in 45 at shortstop. With Cruz back after missing the majority of the season with a fractured left ankle, Williams shifted to second base and even spent time at third base this spring. He beat out a pair of former top-10 prospects in Nick Gonzales and Liover Peguero for a spot on the Opening Day roster.

Since then, Williams has been working on turning double plays from the other side of the bag, concentrating on his footwork and his throws to first from second base.

“It is on the infield dirt, which is nice,” Williams said. “I treat it like shortstop. The main difference is the turn from second is kind of backwards. I’m used to moving towards the bag. At second, you move away from the bag a lot. That’s really the only difference. There is a little bit of an adjustment period in getting used to those turns, but it’s been going well so far. … It’s exciting to see how it pans out this year.”