Fabian Williamson was brought in by the Cincinnati Reds in August of 2013 from independent ball where he was playing with Laredo in the American Association. The left hander made seven starts for Bakersfield last year and posted a 6.61 ERA in 32.2 innings with 19 walks and 37 strikeouts. It got him back into professional baseball but the numbers weren’t strong, especially for a then 24-year-old in Advanced-A.
The Reds didn’t care much about the numbers though as Williamson was not only brought back to the organization for the 2014 campaign but he was promoted to Double-A Pensacola and placed into their bullpen. Things started out well in April as he fired two shutout innings with no walks and three strikeouts in his first outing of the season.He allowed a run the next time out but followed that up with three straight hitless outings that spanned 2.1 innings and he picked up his first save of the year.He would struggle on the 19th and give up two runs in 0.2 innings but rebounded by allowing just one run in the next 4.0 innings. His month came to an end on the 28th of the month and the outing put a big dent on an otherwise strong month as he allowed four runs without recording an out as his ERA doubled as it went from 3.72 to 7.45. Along with the ERA he had six walks and 12 strikeouts in 9.2 innings.
It would be six days before Williamson would take the mound again, but he made it count as he allowed just two base runners in 3.0 shutout innings with a strikeout. He would allow just one run through the first six games of the month that spanned 9.1 innings. He ran into some troubles on the 26ths as he allowed two earned runs in 0.1 innings but he rebounded well in the final outing as he tossed 2.2 shutout innings with a walk and three strikeouts. For the month he posted a 2.19 ERA in 12.1 innings with seven walks and 13 strikeouts.
June saw the lefty give up three runs over the first three games of the month that went for 5.0 total innings, but things changed quickly after that. The reliever threw seven more games in the second half of the month that spanned a total of eight innings and he didn’t allow an earned run while striking out nine batters and he walked just one. His June would go down as his best month of the season as he posted a 2.08 ERA in 13.0 innings with three walks and 17 strikeouts.
The streak of strong appearances extended into July as Williamson tossed three straight hitless innings to start July before he was sent up to help the Louisville Bats for a short stint. With the Bats he made just one appearance and allowed a run in 2.0 innings with two walks and two strikeouts before coming back down to rejoin the Blue Wahoos bullpen. He would struggle upon his return as he allowed four earned runs in 4.1 innings over the next six appearances. The month would end with 2.0 perfect innings with two strikeouts against Mississippi. For the month he would post a 3.97 ERA in 11.1 innings with seven walks and 11 strikeouts.
Down the stretch for August and one game in September the left hander was looking to finish the season on a strong note. Things began on the right path as he tossed 5.1 shutout innings with six strikeouts and a walk over the first three outings. Then things went south over the next two weeks as he allowed seven runs in 4.2 innings over the course of five appearances. He would finish on a good note though a he allowed just one run in the final 3.2 innings of the season. Over the final month-and-a-day Fabian Williamson posted a 5.27 ERA in 13.2 innings with seven walks and 15 strikeouts.
Overview
The transition to the bullpen went fairly well for the left hander. Despite his being promoted his walk rate went down and his strikeout rate remained quite high. The walks are still a bit higher than you would like to see overall. Even though he’s a lefty he dominated right handers and was crushed against left handers who had an OPS 402 points higher against him the right handers did. Williamson has a live arm to work with and he made some improvements from the 2013 season but will still need to continue to make improvements as he moves forward.
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Season Stats
| Team | W | L | ERA | SV | IP | H | HR | BB | K | WHIP |
| Total | 2 | 6 | 4.05 | 1 | 60.0 | 56 | 5 | 30 | 68 | 1.43 |
| Louisville | 0 | 0 | 4.50 | 0 | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1.50 |
| Pensacola | 2 | 6 | 4.03 | 1 | 58.0 | 55 | 5 | 28 | 66 | 1.43 |