Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Taylor Walls just won the 2026 American League pennant and is heading to the World Series. This season, the 30-year-old Major Leaguer has 82 hits and 36 RBIs. 

Walls has been known for his defense along the infield. In the 2026 postseason, Walls has 17 putouts, 21 assists, and a perfect fielding percentage. He is a finalist for a gold glove award at the position alongside Toronto’s Andrés Giménez and Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. 

Before leading the Rays to the World Series in 2026, Walls also showcased some of his postseason DNA with the Florida State Seminoles. 

Walls and his career at Florida State

Walls played college baseball at Florida State from 2015 to 2017. His best season with the Seminoles came in 2016, when he had a .355 batting average with 20 doubles, six home runs, 46 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases. 

Walls was second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference in 2016 and was also a Baseball America first-team All-American. 

In 2017, he played a crucial role in leading Florida State to their first College World Series appearance in five years. That season, Walls reached career-highs in home runs (eight) and RBIs (47). 

During the 2017 NCAA Tournament, Walls came alive during Florida State’s super regional against the Sam Houston State Bearkats. He had five hits in two games against the Bearkats. In game two of the 2017 Tallahassee Super Regional, Walls had two home runs in a 19-0 win for Florida State. That was the win that sent them to Omaha. 

When the Seminoles reached the College World Series in 2017, they were able to win one game over Cal State Fullerton. Walls finished with two hits during the College World Series, which included a double in a game against the LSU Tigers. 

Despite missing out on a national championship, Walls did help Florida State bring home some hardware during the 2017 college baseball season. The Seminoles won the 2017 ACC Tournament in Louisville, Kentucky. 

During three games in the 2017 ACC Tournament, Walls had five hits. He had a double in the ACC Tournament semifinal game against the Duke Blue Devils. 

After his college career ended, Walls was selected in the third round of the Major League Baseball June Amateur Draft by the Tampa Bay Rays. He made his MLB debut on May 22, 2021, against the Toronto Blue Jays. He had two hits in that game. 

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