Jul 28, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Taylor Walls (6) throws the ball to first base for an out during the ninth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Breaking Down Why Rays' Shortstop Taylor Walls Should Win AL Gold Glove

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Rays on SI
By Nick Ziegler | Last updated Oct 25, 2025 4:00 PM ET

With the World Series underway, the Tampa Bay Rays are a step closer to starting up the offseason. This will be a very interesting winter for the franchise with new ownership taking over, but there is a lot to like about the direction that they are heading in.

Once the winter begins, the Rays will be a highly talked about team that is going to have a number of veterans who could be on the trade market. Tampa Bay frequently moves veterans nearing the end of their contracts in order to bring back some prospect in return.

They will have a number of these types of players who could be dealt this winter, with a couple of sluggers like Brandon Lowe and Yandy Diaz leading the way. In terms of pitching, Pete Fairbanks is the top potential candidate to be dealt out of the Rays’ bullpen.

While the team does have a few players that might be dealt, they also have some players who could be seeking accolades soon. Shortstop Taylor Walls was fantastic this year defensively for the team, and he was recently nominated for the American League Gold Glove at shortstop.

Walls Deserving of Gold Glove Nomination

Even though he may have had his campaign cut short because of injury, there is no denying what Walls was able to accomplish defensively in 2025. Overall, he was able to save 18 runs which was the third-most most among infielders and sixth-best overall.

At just the shortstop position, he was able to tie Mookie Betts with 17 runs saved, while playing in a lot fewer games. Even though he missed the end of the year, there is a real chance that he is going to be able to come away with the AL Gold Glove at shortstop.

Walls finished the campaign with a 2.6 bWAR, showcasing his ability defensively. Unfortunately for the talented defender, offense has been a bit of a challenge. In 2025, he slashed .220/.280/.319 with four home runs and 38 RBI in 101 games played.

While the offensive numbers are clearly poor, his ability to be one of the best defenders in the league at a vital position has resulted in him still getting a lot of playing time. With top prospect Carson Williams getting some playing time in 2025, it will be interesting to see what the play for Walls will be. As such an elite defender, he will always get playing time; it’s just a matter of how much.