KCB
Taylor Walls, IF
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Scouting report
So polished is Walls defensively that, were WIlly Adames to go down with injury or leave via trade, he's the most likely internal candidate to get everyday reps. Both the dev staff and the analytics group in Tampa Bay love him at shortstop, and this comes after he only looked okay to the eye in college. From a minor league defensive data perspective, Clay Davenport had him as being worth six runs at shortstop in 2019. His first step, internal clock, and situational awareness, combined with suitable foot speed, actions, and arm strength, not only make him viable at short, but actually really good there. Offensively, Walls is a switch-hitter with great feel for the strike zone and for squaring balls all over it. He's kinda stiff and really doesn't have much power because his swing is so simplistic, instead punching a lot of liner singles over the heads of infielders. It's not a sexy skillset but it is a great general profile -- a switch-hitting shortstop with on base skills -- with enough physical tools to compete with big leaguers. I have him as a low-variance 50 FV player based on the strength of his defense at a premium position. (Alternate site)