Wednesday, September 29, 2021

-Clint Manry

Unfortunate news broke while I was working on an NLDS preview for the Braves potential playoff series with the Brewers. According to reports, righty Devin Williams will require surgery on his pitching hand after suffering a fracture.

Devin Williams just told reporters he punched a wall following the clinch celebration Sunday after having a few drinks and fractured his right hand. The injury will require surgery and will likely end his season.

— Todd Rosiak (@Todd_Rosiak) September 29, 2021

As you can see from the tweet above, this appears to be a Huascar Ynoa-like situation, which you never like to see. There’s no doubt Williams regret what he did as soon as it happened. Anger can make us do very questionable things sometimes.

Devin Williams: “I’m pretty upset with myself. There’s no one to blame but me. I feel like I’ve let my team down, our coaching staff, our fans, everyone. I know how important of a role I play on this team and a lot of people count on me.” pic.twitter.com/kOjzJvEUhh

— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) September 29, 2021

In case you aren’t aware of how big of an injury this is for Milwaukee, just take a look at Williams’ stat sheet. The 27-year-old has no doubt been one of the top arms out of the bullpen for the Brew Crew in 2021, ranking only behind closer Josh Hader in fWAR with 1.4. A former second round pick from the 2013 draft and a top-15 prospect in the organization (according to FanGraphs) back in 2020, Williams has been a strikeout artist this year, averaging 14.5 punch outs per nine and inducing a 47.2% whiff-rate with his trademark changeup. This is definitely a big blow to the Brewers, who as of this past Sunday, clinched an NL Central title.