Inbox: What is the Rays' best future infield?

Sometimes it’s the callup of a great prospect that gets people excited. Case in point this year, of course, was the debut of Mariners outfielder Jarred Kelenic.

Sometimes it’s the trade of someone conceived to be a big league obstacle that creates a palpable buzz. That definitely happened when the Rays traded shortstop Willy Adames to the Brewers, starting a veritable frenzy on social media over not when, not if, but how quickly Wander Franco, the game’s No. 1 prospect, could get to the big league lineup.

The Rays pumped the brakes on that -- rightfully, in my opinion, so please take your righteous indignation elsewhere -- by calling up Taylor Walls first. There’s no doubt that “Wander Watch” (I’m looking to trademark that.) is on, but everyone take a breath please and recognize that Franco just turned 20, hadn’t played an inning above A ball before this year and while he has more than held his own in Triple-A, he hasn’t exactly been setting the world on fire (.268/.329/.507). His time is going to come, but a little patience wouldn’t hurt.

That didn’t keep me from plucking an Inbox question about him and the infield situation in Tampa to kick off this edition of the Pipeline Inbox.

If Taylor Walls is still on the Rays by the time Wander Franco gets called up, will Walls still be at SS or do you see him playing another position like 2B? -- @StevieDAles97

Not only is this the leadoff question, we also discussed it at length in this week’s Pipeline Podcast. Here are the highlights:

-- An argument can be made for letting Franco play where he’s most comfortable, at short, so nothing serves as a potential obstacle for his offensive production (Counter-argument: Dude is going to hit no matter what.). Walls has played plenty of second and would be just fine there.

-- Franco has been playing both second and third, along with the bulk of his time at shortstop, this season, so he should be comfortable playing anywhere on the infield when the call comes (another reason for getting him more reps in Triple-A before rushing him up). The Rays certainly have not shied away from moving players around consistently.

-- Walls is the superior defender and the feeling is the best lineup the Rays could put out, taking defense into consideration, would be Walls at short and Franco at second or third, depending on where the need is.

-- Don’t forget about Vidal Bruján, who also plays multiple infield positions, as well as center. He is off to a VERY good start for Durham.

-- Rays beat writer Adam Berry deserves a tip of the cap because he wrote these exact words on Taylor Walls’ scouting report on the Rays’ Top 30, published before the season began: “Franco is unquestionably baseball’s best prospect, but many believed entering 2021 that Walls -- the Rays’ Defensive Player of the Year in 2018 and ’19 -- was their next-best MLB-ready option at shortstop if Willy Adames were traded or unable to play.”

Is DL Hall someone I should be getting excited about? Seems to be putting it together ... -- @MikeWelch11

DL or Grayson ... higher upside? -- @TJRosch

How close is Grayson Rodriguez to being the top right-handed pitching prospect in the game? Is his early season dominance a reason to be excited -- or should things be tempered for his (relatively) conservative placement in High-A? -- @bhearn_sports

Was going to ask the same ... just, as the top overall pitching prospect in baseball! Their most recent ratings have him 5th overall and 4th for a righty ... but he just continues to impress! -- @Ben_Dewhirst

It’s an Orioles bundle! I couldn’t resist putting these together since I got so many questions about Grayson Rodriguez and Hall, the organization’s top two pitching prospects. Now, we do have Rodriguez ranked ahead of Hall (No. 2 vs. No. 4 on the Orioles Top 30; No. 21 vs. No. 57 on the Top 100), so the easy answer is we do believe Rodriguez to have the higher ceiling. I think his combination of stuff and command gives him the edge. While Hall’s stuff is electric, the command is the one thing that keeps him from quite reaching Rodriguez-level. Even this year, as good as Hall has been (2.81 ERA, .175 batting average against, 17.4 K/9), he’s still walked 4.5 per nine over four Double-A starts to bring his career walk rate down to 5.1. I think he’s going to figure some of that out and will move up from No. 7 on the Top 10 LHP list for sure.

Rodriguez does indeed have the chance to be the top right-handed pitching prospect in baseball in the future, and perhaps the best overall. It’s not that huge of a leap, given that he’s No. 4 on the Top 10 RHP list, but he has top of the rotation starter written all over him. His start to the 2021 season in High-A certainly hasn’t hurt: 1.47 ERA, .141 BAA, 15.2 K/9, 2.0 BB/9. Neither of these O’s pitchers has topped 20 innings as of yet, but if this continues, both will move up, both in the rankings and in the organizational ladder, this year.

Does Nick Pratto have a chance to reach the mid season Top 100? -- @660Logo

In a word, yes. We’ve all been waiting for Pratto, the 2017 first-round pick of the Royals, to figure it out at the plate. The team’s No. 9 prospect was initially drafted in the middle of that first round as a high school first baseman with a really good feel to hit. He got lost along the way, often trying to do too much at the plate and his approach vanished, leading to a strikeout rate north of 31 percent over his first two full seasons of pro ball. If his first 75 plate appearances this season are any indication, he’s starting to rediscover what works for him. Pratto was the first baseman on our most recent Prospect Team of the Week after hitting .412/.560/1.118 with four homers last week, bringing his season line to .286/.440/.679. The biggest key has been that he’s drastically cut his strikeout rate (20 percent) while continuing to draw walks (also 20 percent). If that continues, it will allow him to consistently unlock his offensive potential, which could start landing him in Top 100 conversations.

Shouldn't the Tigers just draft Jack Leiter or Kumar Rocker this year instead of going after a HS SS? Especially since it's a good FA year in the SS market. -- @ljjones_95

I had to work in one Draft question, right? And this provides a good variation on the “don’t draft for need” theme we like to hammer home on a regular basis. The Tigers could very well pick one of the Vanderbilt pitchers at No. 3; it seems fairly likely that they won’t go 1-2 and there’s a chance both could be available for Detroit to consider. But a few things to consider about the rationale to not take one of the high school shortstops. First, can you guarantee the Tigers will get one of the big free agent shortstops to come to Detroit? If you can do that, more power to you. Second, unless you’re talking about signing an aforementioned free agent shortstop to a really long contract, the high schooler you’d be taking and that free agent might not even cross paths. Third, can’t the opposite argument be made in favor of taking either Jordan Lawlar or Marcelo Mayer? The Tigers have so much pitching in their system, so much young pitching making it to Detroit now, why add another advanced college arm when the organization is thinner in other areas?

The answer to both ends of course is: DON’T DRAFT FOR NEED. Picking in the first round at all, but especially at the top, I’m a firm believer in taking the best guy on your board. Period. Yes, signability can come into play, but the Tigers have a very large bonus pool this year and should be able to sign anyone at No. 3 they want to take. It’s extremely possible they’ll decide Leiter or Rocker is the best player on the board when it’s time for them to pick in July, and that’s totally fine. But not taking a high school shortstop because of a hypothetical big league free agent signing? No, I can’t sign for that.