Catching up with Rangers prospects making noise in Arizona Fall League

1:23 PM UTC

ARLINGTON -- There are two weeks down in the Arizona Fall League in 2026 and several Rangers prospects have made their mark with the Surprise Saguaros quickly. Here’s a short check-in roundup with those prospects out in Arizona. 

SS Sebastian Walcott (Rangers No. 1, MLB No. 8)

One of MLB’s most heralded prospects, Walcott hit the ground running in his second Arizona Fall League season. After a grand slam on Friday, the 20-year-old has nine RBIs in his first nine games this fall, continuing what was a hot second half of the 2026 regular season with Double-A Frisco.

Walcott has spent the past four months making up for the lost time that he missed after undergoing an internal brace procedure back in Spring Training. If it wasn’t for that surgery, it stands to reason that he could’ve been knocking on the big league door sometime in 2026.

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But for now, he’s putting himself in a perfect position to be an option in ‘27, starting with his performance out in Arizona this October.

RHP Jacob Johnson (No. 17)

Johnson, the second-youngest pitcher in the Fall League at age 20, has thrown 4 1/3 total innings over his two appearances, allowing just one hit and two walks while striking out three. A 2025 11th-round Draft pick out of Pearl River (Miss.) Community College, Johnson posted a 2.51 ERA in 43 innings between Rookie ball in Arizona and Single-A Hickory in his professional debut season. 

Now in the Fall League, Johnson has also begun expanding his repertoire, according to a conversation with MLB Pipeline’s Jonathan Mayo. 

“I’m throwing a new changeup grip, started throwing it two weeks ago, right before the season started, and I’m also working on a cutter now,” he told Mayo. “It’s working pretty well.

“I think I threw three changeups, four changeups last week. They were good. No cutters last week, but I worked in some cutters today and they were really good. The changeup was really good today. I’m still able to get outs with the pitches, so it’s nice.”

OF (No. 20)

A seventh-round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, Kling reached Double-A Frisco in 2026 and has been one of the most consistent hitters on the Fall League circuit in the early going. Through Sunday, he was slashing .458/.552/.583 with eight RBIs and five walks to just four strikeouts in his first six games.

RHP (No. 30)

In his first two outings in the Fall League, McConnaughey allowed just one run across 4 1/3 innings for the Saguaros. He walked three and struck out eight in that span. 

McConnaughey was a fourth-round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft coming off of Tommy John surgery that he underwent earlier that season at the University of Nebraska. He debuted for Single-A Hickory on July 17 and made five starts with a 4.50 ERA for the Crawdads in his debut pro season.

Other Rangers in AFL unranked in MLB Pipeline’s Top 30