ARLINGTON -- Ultimately, the play didn¡¯t matter. It has no place in the box score or play-by-play information from the Rays¡¯ 5-2 loss to the Rangers on Friday night at Globe Life Field. It won¡¯t make the highlight reels and it didn¡¯t salvage another frustrating trip to Texas.
But the way Taylor Walls backed up third base on Leody Taveras¡¯ steal in the third inning of the series opener was just the latest example of the rare instincts and remarkable ability that make the slick-fielding shortstop such a valuable defensive infielder.
¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen a guy back up a steal of third base, and I told him that,¡± starter Shane Baz said. ¡°I was just like, ¡®Dude, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen that -- and I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever even thought that was possible.¡¯¡±
To set the scene: Starter Zack Littell was facing Marcus Semien. Taveras stole second on the first pitch and took off for third two pitches later. Catcher Danny Jansen fired a 74.2 mph throw that bounced in front of third baseman Junior Caminero and slipped past him, seemingly bound to zip into foul territory while Taveras trotted home.
Then, in one quick motion, Walls slid across the outfield grass over the left-field line, backhanded the ball and popped up to his feet, ready to throw home if Taveras tried to advance. It looked like he was fielding a hard-hit ground ball as much as he was backing up a base.
"For him to cover that much ground to get over there,¡± manager Kevin Cash said, ¡°it¡¯s really impressive.¡±
Despite Walls¡¯ effort, Taveras wound up scoring on a single by Semien. But his hustle wasn¡¯t lost on his teammates.
¡°It¡¯s just stuff like that that goes unnoticed a lot,¡± Baz said. ¡°He¡¯s the best with the glove I¡¯ve ever seen, so it¡¯s nice to have him behind you.¡±
Since Walls¡¯ Major League debut in 2021, only six infielders have recorded more defensive runs saved than his 38. Although he¡¯s hit just .187 with a career .576 OPS, the Rays have regularly praised him as the best defensive shortstop in baseball.
What sets Walls apart? His preparation, instincts and natural feel for fielding.
¡°Even on balls that are not hit to him, how he reads swings and has an understanding of where the barrel¡¯s coming through the strike zone and where that ball¡¯s going to get hit -- it feels like he¡¯s always a step ahead,¡± Cash said. ¡°We¡¯re fortunate to have him.¡±
That was evident not only in watching the way Walls backed up third base on Friday, or any of the other excellent plays he¡¯s made this season, but in hearing him talk about the play. Or, more specifically, everything that led up to the sliding stop itself.
¡°The part of just moving to back up a throw, I think, is kind of just basic fundamental baseball,¡± he said. ¡°When a runner steals third and the ball gets past the third baseman, he usually scores. ¡ I¡¯m just kind of playing the game of knowing, ¡®OK, if this guy steals, I need to be there.¡¯¡±
But it¡¯s not that simple. He couldn¡¯t run to back up Caminero as soon as he saw Taveras running, as that would have left a huge hole in the infield for Semien to slap the ball through. Instead, he shifted his attention back to the plate.
¡°Semien goes to show what was obviously just a fake square to bunt,¡± Walls said. ¡°As soon as he did that, that let me know in my head that I can go ahead and go toward third to back the throw up, because I know that he's not gonna swing the bat.
¡°I don't want to take off so fast where if it hits Cami¡¯s glove and goes back toward short, I'm not there. So it's kind of like I'm moving that way, but reading the throw. And then when I saw that it got past him, it was just kicking into gear and trying to keep it from going into the outfield.¡±
If that sounds like a lot to consider, also keep in mind this all transpired within about four seconds.
Walls compared the way he processes all those pre-pitch thoughts to driving down a highway. You might not carefully ponder every letter on every billboard or road sign, but you can still take in all the information and act on it accordingly. As he put it: ¡°Those things do run through my head in real time, but they¡¯re all instinctual.¡±
Not every player thinks that way. Then again, there aren¡¯t many who play defense like Walls, either.
¡°It's kind of what I pride myself on is looking for the next play, looking at how I can pick a guy up if something happens or prevent a run from being scored if this were to happen,¡± he said. ¡°It was kind of cool and rewarding.¡±