Taylor Walls
- Free agent est. 1 yr × $2.8M ($1M–$7M) if his club option is declined
2 cautions
- His $3.1M club option for 2027 is expected to be declined (projected value below it); the decision comes about five days after the World Series.
- Free agency not confirmed by the contract data: Under six years of service after 2026 (at most 5 years, 92 days): a declined option would leave him under his club's control through arbitration (Keystone's reading of the CBA; the data don't show his contract's terms).
- Injured list 2026: Right hip flexor strain (Sep 8–Sep 17)
Hitting · 2026 percentiles
vs. MLB hitters with 300+ PA · 432 PA
Platoon splits · swing path
By pitcher handedness
| vs | PA | wOBA | xwOBA | K% | BB% | Chase | Decisions | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LHP | 154 | .276 | .234 | 21% | 8% | 25% | +0.76 | −4.93 |
| RHP | 278 | .310 | .280 | 26% | 12% | 26% | +0.65 | −1.91 |
- Attack angle
- 12.6° (60% in 5–20°)
- Attack direction
- +0.5°
- Swing length
- 7.1 ft
- Fast-swing rate
- 2%
- Pull-air %
- 16.1%
- Hard-hit %
- 22.1%
- Slash · wRC+
- .222/.309/.298 · 74
Zone map · 2026
Where he does damage, and where to pitch him
Does the most damage middle-middle (+1.5 vs. league per 100; 0.7 standard errors on 64 pitches, inside the noise for the best of nine cells).
Weakest up over the middle (−3.1), but only 1.4 standard errors from average on 65 pitches: no in-zone spot to attack yet.
Runs per 100 pitches vs. an average LHB: better · worse. Catcher’s view · 1,008 pitches · faded cells are within one standard error of average. A spot is called only when it is farther from average than the best or worst of nine average cells gets 95% of the time (set from the league’s own pitches: about 3 standard errors above, 2 below).
Most similar hitters
Swings like Walls: bat path, contact quality and approach
| Similarity | Player | xwOBA | ’26 WAR | ’27 proj | 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | Chase Meidroth CWS · ’01 | .305 | 4.5 | 3.0 | Pre-arb |
| 54 | Donovan Walton ATH · ’94 | .324 | 1.0 | 0.3 | Pre-arb |
| 52 | Wade Meckler LAA · ’00 | .318 | 2.0 | 1.8 | Pre-arb |
| 50 | Nick Sogard BOS · ’97 | .315 | 1.2 | 0.9 | Pre-arb |
| 47 | Austin Hedges CLE · ’92 | .290 | 1.0 | 0.5 | Free agent |
Nearest neighbours on bat speed, swing length, attack angle, squared-up and blast rates, EV90, barrels, pull-air, chase, zone contact, K% and BB%. 2026 regulars only.
Fielding
2027 rating at every position he can play · OAA by position · range by direction · tools. Same engine as the Fielding Lab and the Winter Plan.
| Season | Pos | OAA | Range | Arm, DP | Runs | Batters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | SS | −2 | −2 | 0.0 | −2.0 | 4,257 |
| 2025 | 2B | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 125 |
| 2025 | SS | +1 | +1 | +0.1 | +1.1 | 2,976 |
| 2024 | SS | −3 | −2 | +0.4 | −1.6 | 2,543 |
| 2023 | 3B | 0 | 0 | −0.1 | −0.1 | 1,024 |
| 2023 | SS | −4 | −3 | −0.1 | −3.1 | 1,064 |
| 2023 | 2B | −2 | −2 | −0.1 | −2.1 | 1,199 |
Runs = range plus his arm and double-play runs spread over his positions by outs (Fielding Run Value, from 2023): what the rating counts.
At SS in 2026, the biggest loss came in (charging) (−4 outs): a coaching target.
Tools (percentile; arm among SSs)| Season | Zone | Balls | Outs vs. exp. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | SS | 373 | +22.7 |
| 2025 | SS | 310 | +17.8 |
| 2024 | SS | 246 | +17.9 |
The zone rating counts every ball hit to his part of the field while he played there, his club’s positioning included; Savant OAA uses his actual starting spot and is the better individual grade. They agree best in the outfield. See the model card.
Contract & projection
Club control (RosterResource) · Keystone projected WAR
His 2027 is a $3.1M club option, decided by Tampa Bay ≈ Nov 1–5. The Free-Agent Board expects it declined, so it prices him as a free agent. Caution: Under six years of service after 2026 (at most 5 years, 92 days): a declined option would leave him under his club's control through arbitration (Keystone's reading of the CBA; the data don't show his contract's terms). Contract Studio →
ABS challenges · 2026
Baseball Savant