No one loves a good debate quite like baseball fans, and with that in mind, we asked each of our beat reporters to rank the top five players by position in the history of their franchise, based on their career while playing for that club. These rankings are for fun and debate purposes only.
Here is the ranking of the top five shortstops in Rays history.
1) Julio Lugo, 2003-06
Key fact: Leads all Rays shortstops with 550 career hits
Lugo played 12 solid seasons in the Majors, having his most success in his four seasons with the Rays. He provided some stability at the position for parts of those four seasons, before being traded to the Dodgers in 2006. In his time with the Rays, Lugo also made his mark in the record book.
The shortstop hit .287 with the Rays, which ranks sixth in franchise history. Lugo is also ninth in hits (550), sixth in on-base percentage (.350), ninth in runs (283) and 10th in doubles (107) and triples (15). Lugo also finished with a 13.5 bWAR with the Rays, the highest of any shortstop.
2) Jason Bartlett, 2008-10
Key fact: All-Star in 2009
Though Lugo gets the nod as the best shortstop in franchise history, Bartlett had the best single season by any shortstop in Rays history. Bartlett made the All-Star team in 2009, and it was well-deserved.
Bartlett hit 14 home runs in ‘09, slashing .320/.389/.490 in 137 games. He also recorded 160 hits that season, which is behind only Lugo’s 182 in 2005 for the franchise single-season mark. Bartlett was also the starting shortstop on the Rays team that made the World Series in ‘08. He became a fan favorite during his three seasons with the Rays, and rightfully so.
3) Willy Adames, 2018-21
Key fact: 20 home runs in 2019 and 43 overall with Rays
Adames was always evaluated within the context of being the prized acquisition in the David Price trade, and he met the expectations that came with his high prospect ranking while establishing himself as a key part of the Rays’ 2018-19 turnaround and the team’s clubhouse culture.
Adames’ 2019 season was one of the best by a Rays shortstop, and that was after he hit .200 in March and April. Despite that slow start, Adames hit 20 home runs, a single-season record by a Rays shortstop, and had an .807 OPS in the second half of the season
During his time with the Rays, he compiled a 7.5 bWAR, fifth most for a Rays shortstop, and his 43 homers were the most by a Tampa Bay player at the position despite his well-documented issues hitting at Tropicana Field. Had he stayed around longer, the upbeat infielder could have moved to the top of this list.
4) Yunel Escobar, 2013-14
Key fact: Played 153 games in 2013
Escobar didn’t set any records, but he played 153 games at shortstop for a team that reached the postseason in 2013, and there’s a lot of value in that. The Rays haven’t had a lot of stability at the position since becoming a franchise, but Escobar provided that by playing a solid shortstop for two seasons. Escobar hit .257 with 16 home runs during his time in Tampa Bay. He also compiled a 3.1 bWAR, which ranks fourth among Rays shortstops.
5) Taylor Walls, 2021-present
Key fact: Gold Glove Award finalist in 2025
You won’t find much to love in Walls’ offensive statistics, as he recorded a 67 OPS+ in his first 1,560 plate appearances and 480 games. He runs pretty well and steals bases, and he can work a tough at-bat. But he just hasn’t hit enough to move higher on this list.
So, why is he on this list at all? Because he’s been that good defensively, whether he’s playing his natural position at shortstop or moving around to second and third. Baseball-Reference calculated that Walls was worth 68 runs from fielding at the end of the 2025 season, a whopping 49 more than the second-ranked shortstop in team history.
Honorable mentions
Kevin Stocker was the first shortstop in franchise history and had a fine season in 1999. ... José Caballero led the AL in stolen bases in 2024 and ’25 while spending a fair amount of time at shortstop. ... With the hype that Tim Beckham had around him, he was going to have to make numerous All-Star Games in order to live up to it. He didn’t do that, but he still played a pair of seasons with the franchise. ... There’s a solid argument that Adeiny Hechavarria is one of the best defenders in franchise history, so he gets an honorable mention. ... Asdrúbal Cabrera, Ozzie Guillen, Aaron Ledesma and Elliott Johnson all also get some consideration.