This story was excerpted from Adam Berry¡¯s Rays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

TAMPA, Fla. -- It's prospect-ranking season at MLB.com, a time to dream on the top Minor League players in the game and break down the best at each position amid the march toward Spring Training.

There¡¯s no doubt who will sit atop the list in the Rays¡¯ system: shortstop Carson Williams.

Williams is MLB Pipeline¡¯s top-ranked shortstop prospect, checking in above two top-six picks from the 2021 Draft in which the Rays selected him: Arizona¡¯s Jordan Lawlar and Boston¡¯s Marcelo Mayer. Williams came off the board 28th overall that year out of Torrey Pines High School in San Diego, and he¡¯s developed into one of baseball¡¯s top all-around prospects.

Just consider what Williams did last season with Double-A Montgomery as one of the youngest regular players (he turned 21 last June) in the Southern League. He hit .256/.352/.469 with 20 home runs, 33 stolen bases, 20 doubles, six triples, 83 runs and 69 RBIs in 115 games. He started 113 games at shortstop and made only nine errors.

Williams led the league in runs, RBIs and triples, and he ranked among the leaders in slugging percentage, extra-base hits, total bases, home runs and wRC+ (142). And he did it all while playing potentially Gold Glove-caliber shortstop.

¡°You're seeing the maturation of a human being -- and not just a baseball player -- on and off the field, the way he carries himself,¡± Rays assistant GM Kevin Ibach said near the end of last season. ¡°Watching the way he carries himself on the field, this is probably the first time since he's been with us that he knows he might be the best player on the field at any given moment. And seeing that confidence that he has now is pretty special.

¡°It gets lost over the course of time how special his season was, but [he] really put together a season on both sides of the ball at a premium position. I will put him up as a defender in shortstop -- between the hands, the feet and the ability to complete plays with the arm -- with any shortstop in Minor League Baseball.¡±

Williams¡¯ talent isn¡¯t in question. He has the power to hit 25-30 home runs. He¡¯s used his speed to steal at least 20 bases in each of his three full seasons. He¡¯s got a strong arm -- scouts liked him as a pitcher back in his Draft year -- but the accuracy of his throws stands out just as much. And he¡¯s such a sure-thing shortstop that even the Rays, who value versatility as much as any club, haven¡¯t moved him off that position at any point in the Minors.

The one question facing Williams is whether he¡¯ll hit enough at the next level, specifically if he can cut down his strikeout rate. He whiffed 168 times in 2022, 158 times in ¡¯23 and 144 times last year. The Rays were encouraged that he reduced his strikeout rate each year, dropping to 28.5% in ¡¯24, especially since hitters often tend to strike out more as they face tougher pitching in the upper Minors.

Speaking in September, after he was named Montgomery¡¯s MVP, Williams said he was most pleased with the strides he took in that area.

¡°The mental side of things, for sure. With the approach at the plate, it's come a long way, and it's only improving,¡± he said. ¡°A lot of work with my hitting coaches, whether it's a coordinator or my hitting coach in Montgomery -- shoutout [Paul Rozzelle] -- it's come a long way, and it's only getting better.¡±

Ibach said in September that Williams was ¡°certainly deserving of a promotion¡± to Triple-A Durham, where he is set to begin the coming season. Staying in Montgomery allowed him to share a clubhouse at the end of the season with fellow position-player prospects like Xavier Isaac, Brayden Taylor, Tre¡¯ Morgan, Chandler Simpson, Dominic Keegan and Tanner Murray, among others.

¡°It feels like I'm playing with the future of the Rays,¡± Williams said during Montgomery¡¯s run to the Southern League Championship Series, ¡°and it's pretty spectacular to watch.¡±

Williams looks like a big part of that future, and certainly one worth watching.