Rays Defensive Stalwart Named Finalist for American League Gold Glove Award
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Given some of the obstacles the Tampa Bay Rays have to overcome off the field, such as spending limits, they have to find every edge on the field to make up the difference.
It is something they have excelled at, which is why they remain competitive despite payrolls consistently being in the bottom third of the league. One of the areas where the Rays gain an edge is with their defense.
As shared by Fielding Bible, Tampa Bay was sixth in the MLB with +42 Defensive Runs Saved. The only teams ahead of them were the Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays and Atlanta Braves.
Taylor Walls named Gold Glove finalist for American League shortstops
Two of those teams are playing in the LCS, and three were in the playoffs. The Rays likely aren't far off. If a team can play defense, it helps compensate for many other shortcomings. One of the players who helped set the tone in that regard for the Tampa Bay was shortstop Taylor Walls.
It was revealed on Wednesday morning that he is one of the finalists for the Gold Glove Award in the American League. Competition will be stiff, as he is going up against two studs. Corey Seager of the Rangers and Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals are the other finalists.
The 2025 Rawlings Gold Glove Award Finalists - AL Short Stop - Bobby Witt Jr., Corey Seager, Taylor Walls#RawlingsGoldGloveAwards pic.twitter.com/2tBdVl1apB
— Rawlings Baseball (@RawlingsSports) October 15, 2025
It is an honor that he has earned with some stellar production with the glove in the field. Walls only played in 98 games, logging 750.2 innings of work. Despite that, he had +18 Defensive Runs Saved overall this season.
His +17 DRS at shortstop was tied for the most at the position with Mookie Betts of the Dodgers. Betts played in 56 more games at the position and logged 557.1 more innings, putting into context just how impactful Walls is with the glove.
Along with his stellar work at shortstop, he had +1 DRS at second base in only 29 innings. He has steadily improved defensively every year of his career. As shared by Baseball Savant, his Defensive Run Value has gone up each season.
Saving as many runs as he does is even more impressive when taking into account that Walls doesn’t have a very strong arm, with his arm strength being in the 35th percentile.
This is the second Gold Glove nomination that he has received in his career. Defense is what will keep him around at the Major League level because his bat has not proven to be impactful.
Good as gold 🙌
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) October 15, 2025
Congratulations on your second @RawlingsSports Gold Glove Award nomination, Taylor! pic.twitter.com/yo6fk1LZ01
Through 1,560 plate appearances, he has an OPS+ of 67 with a slash line of .195/.286/.298. He does offer an impact with his speed, stealing 66 bases out of 82 attempts.
Walls may not profile as an everyday player, especially with Carson Williams in the fold, but he has immense value to a team like the Rays with his glove work and speed on the basepaths.
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Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. Previously, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.