Davis Taylor Walls (born July 10, 1996) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Taylor Walls | |
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![]() Walls in 2017 with the Hudson Valley Renegades | |
Tampa Bay Rays – No. 0 | |
Shortstop | |
Born: (1996-07-10) July 10, 1996 (age 26) Cordele, Georgia | |
Bats: Switch Throws: Right | |
MLB debut | |
May 22, 2021, for the Tampa Bay Rays | |
MLB statistics (through 2022 season) | |
Batting average | .182 |
Home runs | 9 |
Runs batted in | 48 |
Teams | |
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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, during 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]
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]
Walls and his wife, Hallie, welcomed their first child, a daughter, in April 2021.[22]