2013 MLB Draft: Miami Marlins select Trevor Williams with the 44th pick in second round

The Miami Marlins have made their third draft pick out of four in the 2013 MLB Draft, as they pick Trevor Williams, a right-handed starting pitcher from Arizona State University.

Williams started out of the bullpen in Arizona State, but he transitioned to a starting role as a sophomore and thrived. He apparently touches the mid-90's with his fastball but hangs around in the low-90's typically. Williams also hosts three other offerings. His other pitches include a slider, 12-to-6 curveball and a developing changeup.

He supposedly has "swing-and-miss" stuff, but he actually does not generate strikeouts. In 2012, he struck out just 94 batters in 144 1/3 innings, a rate 5.7 per nine innings. Given his stuff and strike-zone pounding, you would expect more whiffs, as it seems he has every other tool to succeed. Despite this, Williams has the skills to be successful, and his good play in college is at least an encouraging sign.

Here are what Perfect Game's Allan Simpson had to say about Williams:

Allan Simpson, Baseball Prospectus

When his velocity topped out at 95-96 mph in the first month of the 2013 season and he came out throwing strikes with three other pitches, there were high expectations that he would factor into the draft as a safe late first-round pick. But the 6-foot-3, 230-pound right-hander hasn't sustained his early-season pace, and was 5-3, 3.30 through his first 11 starts, with 13 walks and 55 strikeouts in 79 innings. Scouts have picked up a subtle mechanical adjustment in Williams’ otherwise smooth delivery, which has been ostensibly aimed at generating more power in his secondary pitches as he always has lacked a true swing-and-miss offering. In the process, he has lost velocity on his fastball, which has been typically 91-93 mph in the early innings to 88-91 throughout, and there hasn't been much improvement in his breaking stuff, though his 78-82 mph slider remains steady.

This sounds like a safe college pick with some upside if he can figure out how to get whiffs, and Williams was appropriately drafted for a player of his caliber.

Stay tuned to Fish Stripes for more coverage of the 2013 MLB Draft.