Chris Kenichi Williams...X: @chrisw316...Instagram: @ckw27...Attended Garden Grove High School and named All-State and league MVP as a senior...Named All-League selection as a sophomore, junior and senior...Named team MVP as a sophomore, junior and senior...Member of the conference championship-winning teams as a junior and senior...Lettered four times in baseball...Began collegiate career with Golden West College in the California Community College Athletic Association and was team MVP in 2015...Played three seasons for Clemson University from 2016-18, majoring in management...Became Tigers starting catcher in 2017. Did not start at catcher late in the season due to his second injury of the year...Became the everyday first baseman in 2018...In 2018: named Johnny Bench Award Watch List member...Named Third-Team All-ACC selection...Hit .281 with 54 runs, 12 doubles, 18 homers, 72 RBIs, a .562 slugging percentage, .401 on-base percentage, 43 walks, seven hit-by-pitches and three steals in 63 games (63 starts, including 59 at first base, three at catcher and one as the DH)...Tied for 12th in the nation in RBI, tied for 17th in homers and tied for 22nd in RBI-per-game (1.14)...Selected as preseason second-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper...No. 5 catcher in the nation in the preseason by D1Baseball and No. 6 senior in the nation in the preseason by Perfect Game...One of the top-75 seniors in the nation in the preseason by D1Baseball...No. 20 ACC prospect for the 2018 draft in the preseason by Baseball America...No. 24 ACC prospect for the 2018 draft in the preseason by D1Baseball...No. 29 ACC prospect for the 2018 draft in the preseason by Perfect Game...Named two-time Clemson Regional All-Tournament selection...Enjoys golfing in spare time.
2023
Was invited to Twins Spring Training, his first official invite to Twins camp...Reassigned to Minor League camp on March 16 and spent entire season with Triple-A St. Paul...Reached base safely in season-long 17-straight games from May 21-June 16, which included a season-long 12-game hitting streak from June 1-16...Hit three home runs on June 13 at Louisville, while driving in seven runs...Became fourth Saints player to homer three times in a game...Also tied franchise record with seven RBI...Named International League Player of the Week on June 19, hitting .368 (7-for-19) with six home runs and 14 RBI in five games for the Saints...Was part of a stretch in which he homered at least once in five of seven games from June 13-21, including eight total in that span...Named Twins Minor League Player of the Month in June, hitting .352 (25-for-71) with one double, 10 home runs, 29 RBI, 24 runs scored, 17 walks, a .378 on-base percentage, a .789 slugging percentage and a 1.267 OPS in 20 games for the Saints...Hit 21st home run of season on Sept. 20 vs. Toledo, setting St. Paul Saints single-season home run record, passing previous record set by Brent Rooker (20) in 2021...Played 60 games (57 starts) at first base and 25 games (all starts) at catcher...Committed just one error at first base in 441 total chances...Threw out 17% of runners attempting to steal (29 steals, six caught)...Hit .246 (57-for-232) with 17 home runs and a .907 OPS against right-handed pitching, compared to .208 (16-for-77) with four home runs and a .662 OPS vs. left-handed pitching...Led Saints in RBI (75), tied for first in home runs (21), second in walks (51) and runs (58), third in total bases (153) and fifth in hits (73).
2022
Played a few games with Twins in spring training as Minor League depth player, coming over from minor league side occasionally...began season with Double-A Wichita....Recorded season-long 12-game hitting streak for Wind Surge from May 10-29, hitting .395 (17-for-43) with a 1.207 OPS in that span....Hit .327 (18-for-55) with a 1.011 OPS in 16 May games for the Wind Surge....Named Texas League Player of the Week for July 19, hitting .462 (12-for-26) with three doubles, six home runs, a .500 on-base percentage, a 1.269 slugging percentage and a 1.769 OPS for Wind Surge...also hit grand slam July 14 vs. Arkansas....Recorded multiple hits in five-straight games from July 13-17, a stretch that included 11 hits, two doubles, six home runs and 18 RBI...Hit .303 (27-for-89) with 11 home runs, 30 RBI and a 1.130 OPS in 24 July games for the Wind Surge....Promoted to Triple-A St. Paul August 11 where he finished season...at time of promotion, ranked fourth in the Texas League in slugging percentage (.542), sixth in OPS (.914) and seventh in homers (18)....Recorded three four-RBI games for Saints in Aug. including consecutive games Aug. 28 at Iowa and Aug. 30 vs. Omaha....Played 83 games (81 starts) at first base, 24 games (21 starts) at catcher, seven games (all starts) at designated hitter and six games (all starts) in leftfield for both levels combined....Combined to hit .246 (104-for-422) with 21 doubles, one triple, 28 home runs, 89 RBI, a .343 on-base percentage, a .500 slugging percentage and an .843 OPS in 117 games between St. Paul and Wichita...hit .289 (28-for-97) with six homers and a .908 OPS vs. left-handed pitching, compared to .234 (75-for-321) with 21 homers and an .818 OPS vs. righties....Led Twins Minor Leaguers in home runs (28), second in RBI (89) and slugging percentage (.500), fifth in total bases (211), sixth in walks (67), 10th in hits (104) and tied for 10th in doubles (21)....Named first baseman on Twins¡¯ MiLB.com organizational All-Star team.
2021
Split season between High-A Cedar Rapids and Double-A Wichita...spent some time on major league side of spring training during March as depth player...played 33 games (32 starts) at catcher and six games (all starts) at first base for both Cedar Rapids and Wichita combined.
2020
Did not play professionally with minor league season cancelled due to COVID-19.
2019
Spent most of season with Low-A Cedar Rapids and was promoted to High-A Fort Myers for 15 games from July 26-Aug.28...placed on 7-day Injured List with Kernels from July 13-25 with a right ankle sprain...named Midwest League Midseason All-Star...led Kernels in slugging percentage (.473) and OPS (.830)...combined to hit 12 doubles, 11 home runs with 32 RBI in 74 games between Cedar Rapids and Fort Myers....Began professional career with Rookie-Elizabethton and hit 15 home runs with 51 RBI in 62 games for E-Twins...led club in homers, RBI, runs (39) and walks (40), and ranked second in hits (54)...named Appy League Postseason All-Star.
