Rays sign first-round pick Carson Williams

The Rays announced they’ve come to terms with first-round draft choice Carson Williams. An infielder from a California high school, Williams will receive a $2.3475 million signing bonus, reports Jim Callis of MLB.com (Twitter link). That’s a touch below the $2.4939 million slot value that accompanies the 28th overall selection.

A UC-Berkeley commit, Williams drew some disparate opinions from public evaluators. While Baseball America and FanGraphs each slotted the right-handed hitting shortstop among their top 40 prospects pre-draft, Keith Law of the Athletic placed him 101st. Williams has a chance to be a power-hitting shortstop, but it seems there’s some divisiveness regarding the consistency of his hit tool.

Tampa Bay has now wrapped up deals with both of its Day One picks. The Rays signed Competitive Balance Round A selection Cooper Kinney Monday night.