Quick Facts
Biography
Below is a partial list of minor league baseball players in the Tampa Bay Rays system:
Players
Vidal Bruján
Vidal Bruján (born February 9, 1998) is a Dominican professional baseball second baseman in the Tampa Bay Rays organization.
Bruján signed with the Tampa Bay Rays as an international free agent in October 2014. He made his professional debut in 2015 with the Dominican Summer League Rays, batting .301 with two home runs, twenty RBIs, and 22 stolen bases in sixty games. He split 2016 with the Gulf Coast Rays and Hudson Valley Renegades, hitting a combined .271 with one home run and eight RBIs in 51 games, and played 2017 with Hudson Valley where he batted .285 with three home runs, twenty RBIs, and 16 stolen bases in 67 games.
Bruján played 2018 with both the Bowling Green Hot Rods (with whom he was named a Midwest League All-Star) and the Charlotte Stone Crabs where he slashed a combined .320/.403/.459 with nine home runs, 53 RBIs, and 55 stolen bases in 122 games between the two clubs. He split the 2019 season between Charlotte and the Montgomery Biscuits, hitting a combined .277/.346/.389/.735 with 4 home runs and 40 RBI. He played for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League following the 2019 season.
Bruján was added to the Rays 40–man roster following the 2019 season.
Bruján's father, Vidal Sr., died from heart failure in 2018.
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Fangraphs, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
Lucius Fox
Lucius Kadeem Fox Jr. (born July 2, 1997) is a Bahamian professional baseball shortstop in the Tampa Bay Rays' organization.
Fox is from Nassau, Bahamas. He lived in the United States for 2 ⁄2 years, during which time he attended American Heritage High School in Plantation, Florida.He was declared an international free agent during the 2015 signing period. Fox signed with the Giants, for a reported $6 million signing bonus. He spent his first professional season, in 2016, with the Augusta GreenJackets of the Class A South Atlantic League, posting a .207 batting average with two home runs, 16 RBIs and 25 stolen bases in 75 games.
On August 1, 2016, the Giants traded Fox, Matt Duffy, and Michael Santos to the Tampa Bay Rays for Matt Moore. He did not play for the Rays after the trade due to a bone bruise on his foot sustained while playing for Augusta. Fox began the 2017 season with the Bowling Green Hot Rods of the Class A Midwest League. He represented the World Team in the 2017 All-Star Futures Game. After batting .278 with two home runs, 27 RBIs and 27 stolen bases in 77 games for Bowling Green, the Rays promoted Fox to the Charlotte Stone Crabs of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League, where he finished the season, batting .235 with one home run and 12 RBIs in 30 games. In 2018, he played for both Charlotte and the Montgomery Biscuits of the Class AA Southern League, slashing .268/.351/.341 with three home runs, 39 RBIs, and 29 stolen bases in 116 total games between the two teams. He split the 2019 season between Montgomery and the Durham Bulls, hitting a combined .221/.331/.327/.658 with 3 home runs, 34 RBI, and 39 stolen bases.
Fox was added to the Rays 40–man roster following the 2019 season.
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
- [1]
Tyler Frank
Tyler Joseph Frank (born January 15, 1997) is an American professional baseball shortstop in the Tampa Bay Rays organization.
Frank graduated from American Heritage School in Delray Beach, Florida. As a senior in 2015, he batted .448 and was named to the Class 4A All-State Team. He was not drafted out of high school in the 2015 MLB draft and he enrolled at Florida Atlantic University to play college baseball for the Owls.
As a freshman at FAU in 2016, Frank batted .285 with one home run, 27 RBIs, and a .401 on-base percentage in 45 games, earning him a spot on the Conference USA All-Freshman Team. In 2017, as a sophomore, Frank started all 57 of FAU's games and batted .336 with 11 home runs, 43 RBIs, and 41 walks. He was named to the All-Conference USA First Team. That summer, he played for USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team, making him the first ever FAU player to be named to the team. He also played in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks. In 2018, his junior year, Frank hit .300 with 13 home runs and 35 RBIs in 63 games and was once again named to the All-Conference USA First Team along with being named the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year.
After his junior year, Frank was drafted in the second round (56th overall) by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2018 MLB draft and he signed for $997,500. He made his professional debut for the Hudson Valley Renegades, with whom he was named a New York-Penn League All-Star, and spent the whole season there, slashing .288/.425/.412 with two home runs and 22 RBIs in 51 games. Frank began 2019 with the Charlotte Stone Crabs, but appeared in only 16 due to an arm injury.
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)
Austin Franklin
Austin T. Franklin (born October 2, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Tampa Bay Rays organization.
Franklin attended Florala High School in Florala, Alabama as a freshman and a sophomore before transferring to Paxton High School in Paxton, Florida. In 2015, as a junior at Paxton, he pitched to a 6-2 record with 1.51 ERA, striking out 95 batters in 41.2 innings. He signed to play college baseball at Samford University. After his senior year, he was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the third round (90th overall) of the 2016 MLB draft. He signed with the Rays for $600,000 and made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast Rays, pitching to a 1-2 record with a 2.70 ERA in 11 games (nine starts).
Franklin spent 2017 with the Hudson Valley Renegades, going 4-2 with a 2.21 ERA in 13 starts, and 2018 with the Bowling Green Hot Rods where he went 6-5 with a 3.62 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP in 16 games (15 starts). Franklin missed all of the 2019 season due to injury.
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)
Tristan Gray
Tristan Colby Gray (born March 22, 1996) is an American professional baseball second baseman in the Tampa Bay Rays organization.
Gray graduated from Elkins High School in Missouri City, Texas in 2014. As a senior, he batted .456 with 12 doubles and 23 RBIs. He was selected by the New York Mets in the 37th round of the 2014 MLB draft, but did not sign and instead chose to enroll at Rice University where he played college baseball for the Rice Owls.
In 2015, as a freshman at Rice, Gray appeared in 56 games, batting .247 with three home runs and 25 RBIs. As a sophomore in 2016, he missed time at the beginning of the year due to injury, but returned to slash .295/.353/.462 with five home runs and 18 RBIs in 42 games. After the 2015 and 2016 seasons, he played collegiate summer baseball in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Falmouth Commodores, and was named a league all-star in 2016.Gray broke out as a junior in 2017, hitting .313/.399/.540 with eight home runs and 39 RBIs in 47 games. After his junior year, he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 13th round of the 2017 MLB draft. He signed and made his professional debut for the West Virginia Black Bears, where he was named a New York-Penn League All-Star. He finished the season batting .269 with seven home runs and 37 RBIs in 53 games.
On February 22, 2018, the Pirates traded Gray, Daniel Hudson, and cash to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Corey Dickerson. He spent the 2018 season with the Charlotte Stone Crabs, compiling a .238 batting average, 13 home runs, and 69 RBIs in 118 games. He spent 2019 with the Montgomery Biscuits, slashing .225/.332/.409 with 17 home runs and 64 RBIs over 122 games.
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)
Ronaldo Hernández
Ronaldo José Hernández (born November 11, 1997) is a Colombian professional baseball catcher in the Tampa Bay Rays organization.
Hernández signed with the Tampa Bay Rays as an international free agent in August 2014. He made his professional debut in 2015 with the Dominican Summer League Rays, batting .227 in 13 games. He played 2016 with the Dominican Summer League Rays, slashing .340/.406/.485 with six home runs and 35 RBIs in 54 games, and 2017 with the Princeton Rays, hitting .332 with five home runs and forty RBIs in 54 games.
Hernández played 2018 with the Bowling Green Hot Rods where he hit .284/.339/.494 with 21 home runs and 49 RBIs in 109 games. After the season, he played in the Arizona Fall League for the Peoria Javelinas. He spent 2019 with the Charlotte Stone Crabs, hitting .265/.299/.397/.696 with 9 home runs and 60 RBI. Hernández was named to the 2019 All-Star Futures Game. He played for the Salt River Rafters in the Arizona Fall League following the 2019 season.
Hernández was added to the Rays 40–man roster following the 2019 season.
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
Grant Kay
Grant Kay (born May 29, 1993) is a third baseman who plays in the Tampa Bay Rays Minor League system. Listed at 6' 0" , 185 lb. , Kay bats and throws right handed. He was selected by Tampa Bay in the 27th round of the 2014 MLB draft out of University of Louisville.
A native of Omaha, Nebraska, Kay is one of four siblings born into the family of Greg Kay and Dawn Pearsons. An all-around athlete, he lettered in baseball, basketball and football at Ralston High School, where he earned All-State and All-Super State honors as a senior in baseball, was All-Conference basketball selection in both junior and senior seasons, and hit a .500 batting average with 20 home runs and 65 runs batted in as a preparatory senior.
Before Louisville, Kay attended Iowa Western Community College and won a national championship with the IWCC Reivers in 2012, rating as No. 3 prospect in the collegiate summer baseball New England Collegiate Baseball League the same year as a freshman to become the only junior college player named Collegiate Summer Baseball All-American in that season. Besides, he was selected to the First-team All-Conference and All-Region in both freshman and sophomore seasons at Iowa Western, hitting .373 and 13 home runs as a freshman, while driving in 37 runs and scoring 42 times. Unfortunately, a knee injury suffered as a sophomore limited his availability, even though he was rated as one of the top junior college ballplayers in the nation.
In 2014, Kay posted a .285 average (59-for-207) with five home runs and 35 RBI as a junior for the Cardinals, including 49 runs, nine doubles and 23 stolen bases in 65 games, en route to their second straight trip to the College World Series. While mulling his eligible options for the MLB Draft, Kay headed to the Cape Cod Baseball League, the premier summer wooden-bat circuit for collegiate players, where he went 14-for-26 (.538) with two homers and four doubles in only six games for the Cotuit Kettleers, and that short stint tipped the scales. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 27th round of the 2014 MLB Draft and signed.
Kay debuted on July 14, 2014 with the Hudson Valley Renegades of the New York–Penn League, Class A affiliate of the Rays, playing at second base for them while batting fifth in the order. He hit for the cycle in his first professional game, going 5-for-6 with five runs scored and three RBIs, leading the Renegades to a 16–4 victory over the Batavia Muckdogs. Kay hit a three-run home run in his first professional at-bat, following with a double in his third at-bat and singles in his fourth and fifth, before drilling a triple in the eight inning to complete a five-hit, five-run game and a cycle in his first professional contest. In 42 total games for Hudson Valley he slashed .314/.376/.491 with two home runs and 20 RBIs. He spent 2015 with the Bowling Green Hot Rods where he batted .251 with one home run and 31 RBIs in 118 games, and 2016 with the Charlotte Stone Crabs where he posted a .242 batting average with eight home runs and 45 RBIs in 115 games. In 2017, Kay played for both the Durham Bulls and Montgomery Biscuits, compiling a combined .265 batting average with seven home runs and 54 RBIs in 115 total games between both teams. He did not play in 2018 due to injury.
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)
Rollie Lacy
Rollin Lee Lacy (born July 17, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Tampa Bay Rays organization.
Lacy attended Holy Family Catholic High School in Victoria, Minnesota, In 2013, as a senior, he did not allow an earned run over 34 innings along with batting .340. Undrafted out of high school, he enrolled at Creighton University, where he played college baseball for the Creighton Bluejays. In 2016, as a redshirt sophomore, he was 9-2 with a 3.15 ERA in 16 starts, and in 2017, as a redshirt junior, he compiled a 5-2 record and 2.54 ERA in 16 starts, earning him a spot on theAll-Big East Conference Team. After his junior year, Lacy was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 11th round of the 2017 MLB draft.
Lacy signed with the Cubs and made his professional debut that year with the AZL Cubs before being promoted to the Eugene Emeralds. In 29.1 innings pitched between both teams, he was 1-3 with a 2.45 ERA. Lacy began 2018 with the South Bend Cubs in their bullpen, but quickly moved into their starting rotation. On June 6, he took a no-hitter through seven innings before being taken out of the game. Ben Hecht pitched the last two innings and also did not allow a hit, finishing off South Bend's first no-hitter since 2014. Lacy was named a Midwest League All-Star. He was promoted to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans in early July.
On July 27, 2018, the Cubs traded Lacy, Eddie Butler, and Alexander Ovalles to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Cole Hamels. He was assigned to the Down East Wood Ducks and finished the season there. In 24 games (18 starts) between the three clubs, he pitched to a 6-4 record with a 2.97 ERA.
On December 21, 2018, the Rangers traded Lacy to the Rays as part of a three team deal in which the Rays also acquired a competitive balance pick in the 2019 MLB draft, the Athletics acquired Jurickson Profar, and the Texas Rangers acquired Brock Burke, Kyle Bird, Yoel Espinal, Eli White, and $750,000 of international signing bonus pool space. He began 2019 with the Charlotte Stone Crabs.
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)
Tobias Myers
Tobias Myers (born August 5, 1998) is an American baseball pitcher in the Tampa Bay Rays organization.
Myers attended Winter Haven High School in Winter Haven, Florida. In 2016, as a senior, he went 8-2 with a 1.51 ERA, striking out 79 batters in 69 ⁄3innings pitched. He signed to play college baseball at the University of South Florida. Myers was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the sixth round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with Baltimore for $225,000, forgoing his commitment to USF. Myers made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast League Rays, compiling a 4.70 ERA in three starts. He began 2017 with the Aberdeen IronBirds.
On July 31, 2017, Myers was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Tim Beckham. He was assigned to the Hudson Valley Renegades, where he finished the season. In 12 starts between Aberdeen and Hudson Valley, he was 4-2 with a 3.54 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP. Myers spent 2018 with the Bowling Green Hot Rods where he pitched to a 10-6 record with a 3.71 ERA in 23 games (21 starts). He spent 2019 with the Charlotte Stone Crabs, going 8-1 with a 2.31 ERA over 18 games (13 starts), striking out 59 over 84 ⁄3 innings.
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)
Kevin Padlo
Kevin Michael Padlo (born July 15, 1996) is an American professional baseball third baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays organization.
Padlo attended Murrieta Valley High School in Murrieta, California. He committed to attend the University of San Diego on a college baseball scholarship. The Colorado Rockies selected Padlo in the fifth round of the 2014 Major League Baseball draft. Rather than enroll in college, Padlo signed with the Rockies, receiving a $650,000 signing bonus.
Padlo made his professional debut with the Grand Junction Rockies of the Rookie-level Pioneer League, batting .300/.421/.594 with eight home runs and 44 RBIs in 48 games. To start 2015, the Rockies assigned Padlo to the Asheville Tourists of the Class A South Atlantic League. He struggled, and was demoted to the Boise Hawks of the Class A-Short Season Northwest League. Padlo spent the entire 2015 season with the Hawks, and was named a preseason and midseason Northwest League All-Star. In 27 games for Asheville he batted .145, and in 70 games for Boise he hit .294/.404/.502 with nine home runs and 46 RBIs.
On January 28, 2016, the Rockies traded Padlo and Corey Dickerson to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Jake McGee and Germán Márquez. He spent the 2016 season with the Bowling Green Hot Rods of the Class A Midwest League, where he batted .229 with 16 home runs and 66 RBIs in 115 games. He spent 2017 with the Charlotte Stone Crabs of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League, posting a .223 batting average with six home runs and 34 RBIs in 64 games. After the season, the Rays assigned Padlo to the Surprise Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League. Padlo returned to Charlotte in 2018, batting .223 with eight home runs and 54 RBIs with 115 games. He split the 2019 season between the Montgomery Biscuits and Durham Bulls, hitting a combined .265/.389/.538/.927 with 21 home runs and 62 RBI.
Padlo was added to the Rays 40–man roster following the 2019 season.
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
Jermaine Palacios
Jermaine Manuel Palacios Leon (born July 19, 1996) is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder for the Tampa Bay Rays organization.
Palacios signed as an international free agent with the Minnesota Twins organization in 2014 and made his debut that same year, for the DSL Twins, where he spent the whole season, posting a .270 batting average with 29 RBIs and 14 stolen bases in 49 games. In 2015, he played for both the GCL Twins and the Elizabethton Twins, posting a combined .370 batting average with three home runs and 37 RBIs in 57 total games between both teams. He spent 2016 with the Cedar Rapids Kernals where he batted .222 with one home run and 28 RBIs in 71 games. He began the 2017 season back with Cedar Rapids, and after batting .320 with 11 home runs and 39 RBIs in 62 games, was promoted to the Fort Myers Miracle where he finished the season with a .269 batting average with two home runs and 28 RBIs in another 62 games.
On February 18, 2018, the Twins traded Palacios to the Tampa Bay Rays for Jake Odorizzi. He began 2018 with the Montgomery Biscuits but was reassigned to the Charlotte Stone Crabs during the season. In 118 total games between the two teams, he hit .217 with two home runs and 53 RBIs. He began 2019 with Montgomery.
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)
Michael Plassmeyer
Michael Plassmeyer (born November 5, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays organization.
Plassmeyer attended De Smet Jesuit High School in Creve Coeur, Missouri, and the University of Missouri, where he played college baseball for the Missouri Tigers. As a junior at Missouri, he pitched to a 5-4 record with a 3.05 ERA, striking out 103 batters in 91.1 innings pitched.
The Seattle Mariners selected Plassmeyer in the fourth round of the 2018 MLB draft. He signed and was assigned to the Everett AquaSox, going 0-1 with a 2.25 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 24 innings pitched.
On November 8, 2018, the Mariners traded Plassmeyer, Mike Zunino, and Guillermo Heredia to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Mallex Smith and Jake Fraley. He began the 2019 season with the Bowling Green Hot Rods.
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)
Tommy Romero
Tommy Romero (born July 8, 1997) is an American baseball pitcher in the Tampa Bay Rays organization.
Romero graduated from Coral Springs Charter School in 2015. Unselected in the 2015 MLB draft, he enrolled at Polk State College where he played baseball. After his freshman year in 2016, he transferred to Eastern Florida State College. As a sophomore in 2017, he won nine games, compiled a 1.13 ERA, and led the NJCAA in strikeouts with 136. After his sophomore season, he was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 15th round of the 2017 MLB draft. Romero signed and made his professional debut with the Arizona League Mariners, going 5-1 with a 2.08 ERA in 43 ⁄3 innings pitched. He began 2018 with the Clinton LumberKings.
On May 25, 2018, the Mariners traded Romero and Andrew Moore to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Denard Span and Álex Colomé. He was assigned to the Bowling Green Hot Rods, with whom he was named a Midwest League All-Star. In 25 total starts between Clinton and Bowling Green, he was 11-4 with a 2.95 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. He spent a majority of the 2019 season with the Charlotte Stone Crabs, pitching to a 12-4 record with a 1.89 ERA over 23 games (18 starts), striking out 103 over 119 ⁄3 innings. He made one spot start for the Montgomery Biscuits at the end of the season.
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)
Joe Ryan
Joseph Philip Ryan (born June 5, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Tampa Bay Rays organization.
Ryan attended Sir Francis Drake High School in San Anselmo, California. He drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 39th round of the 2014 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign and played college baseball at California State University, Northridge. In 2015 and 2016, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Orleans Firebirds of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and was named a league all-star in 2016. In 2018, he transferred to California State University, Stanislaus. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the seventh round of the 2018 MLB draft and signed.
Ryan made his professional debut with the Hudson Valley Renegades, compiling a 2-1 record with a 3.72 ERA over 36 ⁄3 innings. He started 2019 with the Bowling Green Hot Rods and was promoted to the Charlotte Stone Crabs and Montgomery Biscuits during the season. Over 24 games (22 starts) between the three clubs, Ryan pitched to a 9-4 record with a 1.96 ERA, striking out 183 batters over 123 ⁄3 innings.
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)
Brian Shaffer
Brian Shaffer (born August 12, 1996) is an American baseball pitcher in the Tampa Bay Rays organization.
Shaffer attended North Harford High School in Pylesville, Maryland. In 2014, his senior year, he boasted an 8-2 record with a 1.86 ERA, leading North Harford to the Class 3A state championship. Undrafted in the 2014 Major League Baseball draft, he enrolled at the University of Maryland where he played college baseball for the Maryland Terrapins.
In 2015, as a freshman at Maryland, he appeared in 16 games (11 starts), going 5-1 with a 4.57 ERA. As a sophomore in 2016, Shaffer went 8-3 with 2.60 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP in 15 starts, earning a spot on the All-Big Ten Third Team. In 2017, as a junior, he compiled a 7-3 record with a 1.67 ERA over 14 starts and was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year.After his junior year, he was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the sixth round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft. He signed and made his professional debut with the Arizona League Diamondbacks before being promoted to the Hillsboro Hops. In 13 games (ten starts) between the two clubs, he compiled a 3.38 ERA. He began 2018 with the Kane County Cougars.
On July 25, 2018, Shaffer (along with Michael Pérez) was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Matt Andriese. He was assigned to the Charlotte Stone Crabs. In 26 games (25 starts) between Kane County and Charlotte, he pitched to a 9-7 record, a 2.79 ERA, and a 1.11 WHIP. He returned to Charlotte to begin 2019 before being promoted to the Montgomery Biscuits in May. Over 33 appearances (six starts) between the two clubs, Shaffer compiled a 4-3 record with 2.38 ERA over 102 innings.
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)
Carlos Vargas
Carlos Jose Vargas Polanco (born March 18, 1999) is a Dominican professional baseball shortstop in the Tampa Bay Rays organization.
Vargas signed with the Seattle Mariners as an international free agent in July 2015. He made his professional debut in 2016 with the DSL Mariners and spent the whole season there, posting a .242 batting average with seven home runs and 35 RBIs in 62 games.
On January 11, 2017, Vargas was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays, along with Mallex Smith and Ryan Yarbrough, for Drew Smyly. The Rays assigned him to the GCL Rays where he spent the whole 2017 season, batting .245 with five home runs and 27 RBIs in 54 games. In 2018, he played for the Princeton Rays, slashing .256/.333/.413 with four home runs and 22 RBIs in 47 games.
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)
Taylor Walls
Taylor Walls (born July 10, 1996) is an American baseball shortstop in the Tampa Bay Rays organization.
Walls attended Crisp County High School in Cordele, Georgia, where he played baseball. In 2014, his senior year, he hit over .400 while pitching to a 0.70 ERA. Undrafted in the 2014 Major League Baseball draft, Walls enrolled at Florida State University where he played college baseball.
In 2015, Wall's 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. 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. In 2017, his junior season, Walls started 68 of FSU's 69 games, hitting .273 with eight home runs and 47 RBIs. After the season, Walls was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the third round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft.
Walls signed with the Rays and made his professional debut with the Hudson Valley Renegades, batting .213 with one home run over 46 games. In 2018, Walls played with the Bowling Green Hot Rods (with whom he earned Midwest League All-Star honors), slashing .304/.393/.428 with six home runs, 57 RBIs, and 31 stolen bases over 120 games. Walls started the 2019 season with the Charlotte Stone Crabs, being named a Florida State League All-Star. He three weeks during the season due to a quadriceps injury. In June, he was promoted to the Montgomery Biscuits, with whom he finished the season. Over 96 games between the two clubs, Walls batted .270/.343/.452 with ten home runs, 46 RBIs, and 28 stolen bases.
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)