SEATTLE, Wash. – The Seattle Mariners have selected third baseman Ben Williamson out of the College of William & Mary (Williamsburg, VA) with their fourth selection (57th overall) in the 2023 MLB First-Year Player Draft, Director of Amateur Scouting Scott Hunter announced tonight.
Williamson, 22, batted .391 (82x210) with 57 runs scored, 11 doubles, 5 triples, 12 home runs and 49 RBI while going 14-for-15 in stolen base attempts with a .513 on-base percentage and a .662 slugging percentage (1.175 OPS) in 55 games during his senior season at William & Mary. His 82 hits and 57 runs scored this year were the most by a William & Mary player since 2014.
Williamson was named the 2023 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Player of the Year, becoming the first William & Mary player to receive the honor since 2014. During the 2023 season, he led the CAA in on-base percentage (.513), on-base plus slugging (1.175), tied for the lead in triples (5) and ranked 2nd in batting average (.391). His on-base percentage ranked 13th overall and 6th among infielders nationally.
The 6-foot, 190-pound infielder was also awarded CAA Defensive Player of the Year in 2022 after earning a .976 fielding percentage over 169 total fielding opportunities between third base and shortstop. Williamson was named First-Team All-CAA in three consecutive seasons (2021, 2022 and 2023), the first player in William & Mary program history to accomplish the feat.
Williamson is the Mariners 4th and final pick of the first day of the 2023 MLB First-Year Player Draft, joining INF Colt Emerson (22nd overall), OF Jonny Farmelo (29th overall) and SS Tai Peete (30th overall).
The 2023 MLB First-Year Player Draft continues tomorrow with rounds 3-10, beginning at 11:00 a.m. PT. Rounds 11-20 will take place on Tuesday, beginning at 11:00 a.m. PT.