The Milwaukee Brewers announced seven September call-ups yesterday, including one player who was making his first trip to the major leagues: right-handed pitcher Taylor Williams. The Kent State product started his career back in 2013 as a 4th-round pick by the Brewers and quickly began to see his fastball velocity rise along with his stock as a prospect. During Spring Training in 2015, Ryan Braun likened Williams’ explosive fastball to that of All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel’s.
Unfortunately for Williams and the Brewers, arm issues started cropping up shortly thereafter. He began the 2015 season on the disabled list with and ultimately was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery after physical therapy and platelet-rich plasma injections couldn’t heal his ailing elbow.