Rangers' Walcott will venture into outfield during Arizona Fall League
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SURPRISE, Ariz. – Hours before the Surprise Saguaros take the field during Arizona Fall League action, the club often takes batting practice and goes through infield and outfield drills.
You most certainly hear when Sebastian Walcott is up, the thundering impact of the ball coming off his bat. And for the first few weeks, it was notable to see one of the Minor Leagues’ strongest throwing arms taking grounders at shortstop after he missed the majority of the 2026 season after undergoing internal brace surgery in February, which largely limited him to DH duties thereafter.
But lately, all 6-foot-4 of Walcott has been running around the outfield grass. It’s not a mirage, not just for extra cardio: Sebastian Walcott the outfielder is coming to the desert, starting next week.
The move isn’t without precedent. The Fall League is often utilized as a testing ground for prospects to get their feet wet at new positions in game action, a low stress environment to see if the rigors of a different spot could hold up in a high stress environment -- like the big leagues.
Much like how the Rangers’ No. 1 prospect -- a career infielder, who has only played at short or third base -- is adding an outfielder’s glove to his bag, so did Caleb Bonemer (CWS No. 2/MLB No. 27) during his stint with Glendale. Sharing the same side of the infield with Walcott through the first four weeks has been Aidan Miller (PHI No. 2/MLB No. 59), also a shortstop by trade, who has been getting a crash course at third base, a position he hadn’t played professionally before this month.
Walcott’s dynamism has been on display on a daily basis in the Fall League. During his third consecutive multihit game Thursday night, he slid into second on a stolen base and broke his belt. Rather than run the bases without one, he snagged a similarly shaded blue belt from teammate Austin Charles, a member of the Royals organization.
But there will be no borrowing a teammate’s outfield glove. Walcott has had his own since earlier this season -- he’s just been waiting to put it to use.
Take a look at the left side of the Rangers’ Major League infield and there’s not a lot of room for reps. While both Corey Seager and Josh Jung missed time in 2026, they’re expected to be healthy entering ‘27. Rangers outfielders finished in the middle of the pack this past year in both offensive and defensive WAR, per FanGraphs, and despite having Wyatt Langford, Evan Carter and Brandon Nimmo on the roster, the right-handed-hitting Walcott presents a potential above-average option to a group that was almost perfectly average (99 wRC+) last year.
While Walcott is still just 20 years old, he’s arrived in the Fall League and looked every bit of MLB’s No. 8 prospect. He’s slashed .300/.362/.460 with 18 RBIs in 12 games and is one of only two players on the circuit with at least six extra-base hits and nine steals. He’s also accounted for two of the 10 hardest-hit balls across the league at 113.9 and 113.3 mph.
Surprise manager Daniel Robertson -- who appeared in 70 games for the Rangers in 2014, his first of four big league seasons -- has been able to bestow some of his advice to the preternaturally gifted Walcott.
“I just try not to do too much at the plate,” said Walcott. “D-Rob came to me yesterday and said, ‘Hey, don't try hard, try easy’ and I just have that same mentality at the plate. It's been working, just trusting my ability.”
That ability has allowed Walcott to soar through the Rangers’ system since he signed out of The Bahamas in 2023. He first touched Double-A as an 18-year-old in 2024, before returning to the level for all of ‘25. If not for the elbow injury, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that Walcott could have debuted for Texas this season, doing more than just spending time around the big league club while rehabbing.
All told, Walcott mashed 10 homers and stole 13 bags across 41 Minor League contests this summer, producing a .991 OPS. He even made his Triple-A Round Rock debut, a two-game stint that also served as an indication that Walcott -- no matter what glove he wears -- is knocking on the doors of Globe Life Field.