The Tampa Bay Rays decided to look long-term on the first night of baseball’s draft, taking a pair of high school infielders with the 28th and 34th overall picks. Shortstop Carson Williams from Torrey Pines High School in San Diego was selected by the team in the first round, while second baseman Cooper Kinney from The Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee was taken in compensation round A.
Most sites had Williams ranked in the upper 30s to the upper 40s, though The Athletic had the 18-year-old ranked 101st. He features a fastball that gets up to 94 MPH and a slider with some good life, accoriding to PerfectGame. Williams was also named the most valuable player of the WWBA World Championship tournament, which took place in Fort Myers back in October. He is currently committed to play collegiately at Cal.
The #Rays select Carson Williams No. 28 overall in the 2021 #MLBDraft.
Williams ranked No. 41 on our BA 500 big board.
Find his full scouting report here: https://t.co/18ugc09Hdj
Pick-by-pick results: https://t.co/gTSr8nqI7L pic.twitter.com/irqvfKJTr9
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) July 12, 2021
Kinney, who played under his father Mike at The Baylor School, was ranked 84th by MLB.com. He is a 6’3″, 200 pound second baseman who was named Gatorade Player of the Year in baseball for the state of Tennessee, and “Mr. Baseball” by the Tennessee Baseball Coaches Association. He has a scholarship offer to play at South Carolina.
The #Rays select Cooper Kinney No. 34 overall in the 2021 #MLBDraft.
Kinney ranked No. 70 on our BA 500 big board.
Find his full scouting report here: https://t.co/18ugc09Hdj
Pick-by-pick results: https://t.co/gTSr8nqI7L
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) July 12, 2021
Both players have until August 1 to sign a deal with the Rays if they wish to play professionally this year.
Steve Carney is the founder and publisher of St. Pete Nine. One of the people most associated with baseball coverage in Tampa Bay, he spent 13 seasons covering the Rays for flagship radio station WDAE, first as producer of Rays Radio broadcasts, then as beat reporter beginning in 2011. He likes new analytics and aged bourbon, and is the owner of one of the ugliest knuckleballs ever witnessed by baseball scouts.
