4. Carson Williams, Tampa Bay Rays
It's hard to make a top five position players list and leave out the best shortstop in the minor leagues. Carson Williams has ranked near the top of many shortstop prospect lists for the past two years, and his game only continues to improve.
As the 28th overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, Williams didn't even start focusing on baseball full-time until he was drafted out of high school, which speaks to his natural talent and potential ceiling.
Williams's premier tools are his glove and arm as both are 70-grade attributes. He won the MiLB shortstop Gold Glove and also won team MVP at Double-A Montgomery where he spent the entirety of his 2024 season. His defensive prowess alone is enough to carry him to the big leagues and get him a normal amount of reps.
On top of the glove is his elite speed, which earned him 33 steals in 2024 and 83 over his minor league career thus far. Once again, we're looking at a player with the potential to put up 30 to 40 steals at the next level if he gets on base enough.
Williams hasn't jetted through the Rays system quite like these other prospects have, mainly because of his bat. While 2024 was his best season offensively to date, there are questions about the hit tool. He has struck out at an abov- average rate at each of his stops in the minors and had a 31.4 K% across three levels and 503 plate appearances in 2023.
He did cut his K% from 31.4 to 28.5 in 2024, but there's still a lot of room to improve which is why we're not looking at an MLB debut until mid-to-late 2025 unless he forces Tampa Bay's hand during spring training.
Despite the concerns with his strikeout numbers, Williams still has a lot of power potential. In his pro career, he has hit 62 home runs along with a .478 SLG and .221 ISO. Among Double-A shortstops in 2024, he led with 20 home runs and a .212 ISO, while he ranked within the top three with a .469 SLG and an .821 OPS.
Among the 131 minor league shortstops with at least 400 plate appearances in 2024, his 142 wRC+ ranked fourth overall. If he's making enough contact to pair that type of production with his defense and speed, it's hard not to see a similar profile to Francisco Lindor.