The Texas Rangers made a big splash last week when they traded for starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore.
But when the news first broke, there was actually something else that Rangers fans were making sure of — they needed to know that shortstop prospect Sebastian Walcott hadn’t been put in the deal.
Only once they knew Walcott was staying put could they celebrate the acquisition.
That’s because Walcott is one of the best young players in baseball. On ESPN’s new top-100 prospects list put together by Kiley McDaniel, Walcott is ranked as the No. 5 prospect in the entire sport.
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He’s one of those tall shortstop body types, not entirely unlike Corey Seager, although Walcott bats from the right side. He has immense upside at the plate.
“Walcott is filling out his 6-foot-4 frame and has massive physical tools: plus-plus power projection, a plus arm and the quickness to still look as if he has a shot to stick at shortstop long term,” McDaniel writes. “Rarely have I seen a gifted prospect pushed a little too hard with a minor league assignment then get pushed more and notably improve at the same time the way Walcott did with his approach in 2025 at Double-A.”
McDaniel compares Walcott to Fernando Tatis Jr.
At 19 years old, there’s still plenty of time for Walcott to improve, too.
“He could stand to lift his swing plane a bit to get to his power more in games, but he also crushes pitches enough that he probably won’t even have to do that to hit 20-plus homers,” McDaniel writes. “I don’t know how the hit/power balance or positional fit will settle, but Walcott continues to look like a potential star.”
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All of that is why the Rangers didn’t trade Walcott away. He’d likely be pretty darn close to untouchable in any deal.
He’s a future star, and Texas wants him to reach that potential in their uniform.
