Rays Prospects: Carson Williams is heading towards making a debut

The Tampa Bay Rays have always thrived off of thier farm system that consistently ranks towards the top of Major League Baseball. Back in December, the MLB farm systems were re-ranked, with the Rays majorly getting voted into the top ten among all teams (per Bleacher Report). So, just what prospects should fans be on the look out for in St. Pete?

With Junior Caminero getting the called up late last season, this leaves shortstop prospect Carson Williams as the next best player among Tampa Bay's minor-league affiliates. He is the seventh-best shortstop prospect in the MiLB and the 19th overall ranked prospect among all farm systems, according to MLB Pipeline.

Williams has some great game when a baseball bat is in his hands. He came off of an explosive 2023 season that saw him ascend from Single-A to Triple-A with the Rays' system. He fnished with a .257 average and had 81 RBI on 112 total hits, meaning he posted good performances at the plate when runners are in scoring position.

His OBP was decent at .356, which was above major league baseball's average among all players in 2023 (.320). His OPS was .853, and this was assisted by his 23 home runs. His power will be interesting to watch develop, as he can both pull the ball and go long the opposite way.

There is a big question for Tampa Bay. Where do you play Williams if you already have a player like Caminero playing shortstop? The Rays also have Osleivis Basabe and Taylor Walls on their roster as shortstop depth. That will be something the front office in St. Pete has to evaluate as 2024 moves along and Williams keeps developing.

For now, the top prospect for Tampa Bay is in a good spot as a memeber of a strong infield group and he can continue to develop in the minors. You can be sure, though, that his name will be one of the first ones to be called up to play at Tropicana Field if the Rays decide to do any call ups at all.