Taylor Walls
Taylor Walls | |
---|---|
Tampa Bay Rays – No. 6 | |
Shortstop | |
Born: Americus, Georgia | July 10, 1996|
Bats: Switch Throws: Right | |
MLB debut | |
May 22, 2021, for the Tampa Bay Rays | |
MLB statistics (through 2021 season) | |
Batting average | .211 |
Home runs | 1 |
Runs batted in | 15 |
Teams | |
|
Davis Taylor Walls (born July 10, 1996) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Amateur career[]
Walls attended Crisp County High School in Cordele, Georgia, where he played baseball.[1] In 2014, his senior year, he hit over .400 while pitching to a 0.70 ERA.[2] Undrafted in the 2014 Major League Baseball draft, Walls enrolled at Florida State University where he played college baseball.
In 2015, Walls' freshman year at Florida State, he earned a starting spot, and started all 65 of FSU's games, batting .220 with 22 RBIs and seven stolen bases.[3][4] As a sophomore in 2016, Walls greatly improved, slashing .355/.479/.516 with six home runs, 46 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases over 63 starts, earning All-ACC Second Team honors.[5][6] In 2017, his junior season, Walls started 68 of FSU's 69 games, hitting .273 with eight home runs and 47 RBIs.[7] After the season, Walls was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the third round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft.[8][9]
Professional career[]
Walls signed with the Rays and made his professional debut with the Hudson Valley Renegades of the Class A Short Season New York–Penn League, batting .213 with one home run over 46 games.[10] In 2018, Walls played with the Bowling Green Hot Rods of the Class A Midwest League (with whom he earned All-Star honors), slashing .304/.393/.428 with six home runs, 57 RBIs, and 31 stolen bases over 120 games.[11] Walls started the 2019 season with the Charlotte Stone Crabs of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League, being named an All-Star. He missed three weeks during the season due to a quadriceps injury.[12] In June, he was promoted to the Montgomery Biscuits of the Class AA Southern League, with whom he finished the season.[13] Over 96 games between the two clubs, Walls batted .270/.343/.452 with ten home runs, 46 RBIs, and 28 stolen bases.[14]
Walls did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[15] On November 20, 2020, he was added to the 40-man roster.[16] To begin the 2021 season, he was assigned to the Durham Bulls of the Triple-A East.[17]
On May 22, 2021, Walls was promoted to the major leagues for the first time.[18][19] He made his debut that day and recorded his first MLB hit, a double off of Toronto Blue Jays starter Robbie Ray, during the game.[20] Walls ended the 2021 season with Tampa Bay slashing .211/.314/.296 with one home run, 15 RBIs, and ten doubles over 152 at-bats.[21]
Personal life[]
Walls and his wife, Hallie, welcomed their first child, a daughter, in April 2021.[22]
References[]
- ^ Millikan, John. "State championship loss ends run for 'family' of Crisp County seniors". Albany Herald.
- ^ Morse, Tim. "RAY KNIGHT BASEBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Crisp County's Taylor Walls". Albany Herald.
- ^ Henry, Jim. "FSU freshman Walls steps in at SS". Tallahassee Democrat.
- ^ Sonnone, Brendan. "Where does FSU baseball go from here?". orlandosentinel.com.
- ^ Ferrante, Bob. "Taylor Walls, FSU look to scale College World Series heights". The Palm Beach Post.
- ^ "Seminole Trio Garner All-ACC Honors". Florida State Seminoles. May 23, 2016.
- ^ "The resurgence of Taylor Walls". Tallahassee Democrat.
- ^ "Cordele's Walls drafted by Rays". www.walb.com.
- ^ III, Wayne E. McGahee III and Wayne McGahee. "FSU shortstop Taylor Walls drafted by the Rays". Tallahassee Democrat.
- ^ Culver, Jordan. "FSU's Taylor Walls signs with the Tampa Bay Rays, Drew Carlton with the Detroit Tigers". Tallahassee Democrat.
- ^ https://www.wbko.com/content/sports/Six-Hot-Rods-chosen-for-Midwest-League-all-star-game-484745521.html
- ^ "Rays' Taylor Walls: Hitting well since return". CBSSports.com.
- ^ "Rays' Taylor Walls: Promoted to Double-A". CBSSports.com.
- ^ "Raleigh among young Noles on 60-man MLB rosters - The Osceola".
- ^ "2020 Minor League Baseball season canceled". MLB.com.
- ^ https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2020/11/rays-dfa-hunter-renfroe.html\
- ^ "Rays set rosters for four minor-league teams".
- ^ "Rays Trade Willy Adames to Brewers".
- ^ "Rays Promote Taylor Walls, Claim Deivy Grullon from Mets".
- ^ "Rays 3, Blue Jays 1: Taylor-made debut for Walls". 22 May 2021.
- ^ "Rays activate SS Wander Franco from IL".
- ^ "Tears of joy: Taylor Walls shares MLB promotion in emotional Facetime call to family".
External links[]
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
- Florida State Seminoles bio
- 1996 births
- Living people
- People from Cordele, Georgia
- Baseball players from Georgia (U.S. state)
- Major League Baseball infielders
- Tampa Bay Rays players
- Florida State Seminoles baseball players
- Hudson Valley Renegades players
- Bowling Green Hot Rods players
- Charlotte Stone Crabs players
- Montgomery Biscuits players
- Durham Bulls players