CLEVELAND -- There were only a handful of times that Cleveland’s top prospect, Gavin Williams, could be seen around the Goodyear complex this spring.

Sure, he was all over the backfields with the rest of the Minor Leaguers, but rarely was spotted near the diamonds or in the bullpens that the Major Leaguers traipsed across, which may have been by design in order to keep him out of Guardians manager Terry Francona’s sight.

“​​I don’t think they wanted me to [see much of him],” Francona said with a laugh. “I think they were afraid I might want to bring him with us.”

Now, Francona will have a front row seat to the stuff everyone has been raving about since Williams was drafted by Cleveland in the first round of the 2021 Draft, as the team’s top prospect is set to make his Major League debut on Wednesday against the A’s at Progressive Field.

“I have no words for it, really,” Williams said. “I don’t know how to describe it right now.”

It’d be difficult for any coach or manager to watch Williams pitch and not want to have him on their team. Any starter who can flash triple digits, especially for the Guardians who haven’t boasted starters who have a ton of velocity, will turn heads.

Williams’ heater sits in the mid-to-upper-90s and has clocked in faster than 100 mph multiple times in the Minors this year. According to the experts at MLB Pipeline, the biggest reason for Williams’ surge since turning professional was learning to spin the ball effectively. He has a mid-80s slider and an upper-70s curveball that have developed rapidly, boosting his arsenal.

“[His] stuff is really good,” Francona said. “[He’s] still learning, which I think is [expected]. … I think it’s exciting, but I think we need to, like we told him, ‘Just go pitch. If we need to start making adjustments, we will. Let’s see you pitch first.’”

Not only did MLB Pipeline have Williams ranked as Cleveland’s No. 1 prospect, but also the 16th best prospect in all of baseball and he’s lived up to those expectations thus far. Williams made just three starts with Double-A Akron, giving up one run in 14 1/3 innings, before he was promoted to Triple-A Columbus, where he continued to be a strikeout machine. In 46 innings, he fanned 61 batters. He also posted a 2.93 ERA.

“It’s the easiest 98 to 100 [mph] you’ll ever see, I think,” Guardians pitching coordinator Joel Mangrum said of Williams last spring. “At least from a kid that age.”

Williams was drafted by Cleveland in the first round of the 2021 Draft, but during Spring Training in ‘22, it was clear that everyone in the organization was confident he’d fly through the farm system, including his teammates. After just 37 Minor League starts, he’s set to make his first one in the Majors.

“It’s effortless,” Cleveland’s No. 8 prospect and shortstop Jake Fox said. “Effortless 100 miles per hour. He’s got four pitches, so it’s going to be hard if you go down 0-1. It’s a tough at-bat.”

The Guardians now have three of their most exciting young hurlers in their rotation. Tanner Bibee was another Top 100 prospect (No. 65) and Logan Allen finished the year as Cleveland’s No. 8 up-and-comer. Most of this results in excitement, as the organization gets a preview of what its pitching will look like for years to come. But it also will come with some hurdles that Francona will need to monitor.

“There’s a balance right now with three young guys in the rotation now and when they come up, it’s not just the innings, it’s the intensity of the innings,” Francona said. “Look at Tanner’s start the other day. Man, it was the fifth inning and he was grinding. … That takes a lot out of you. So, we want to keep an eye on his stuff.”

But there’s no need to worry about the negatives anytime soon. For now, Francona can solely focus on getting his eyes on Williams after a much-anticipated wait.

“This start tomorrow -- again, I say it every time -- it won’t define whether he’s going to the Hall of Fame or going back to [Single-A],” Francona said. “But I think we’re excited to watch him and to watch him grow because he will.”