Inside Rangers Top 30 Prospect’s Resounding Arizona Fall League Debut

While much of the attention at the Arizona Fall League will be on Texas Rangers top prospect Sebastian Walcott, there are eight other Rangers prospects there.

One of them is Top 30 outfield prospect Paxton Kling. He was the only Rangers position player in the starting lineup for the Surprise Saguaros when they made their AFL debut on Saturday against Scottsdale. He had a great night, one that could bode well for how much he's used and well he how well he could perform in the next month.

Paxton Kling’s AFL Debut

Paxton Kling has his 1st Double-A hit and RBI!

B4 | FRI 2, WCH 2 pic.twitter.com/U6ngQYDt93
— Frisco RoughRiders (@RidersBaseball) September 10, 2026

The Saguaros had Kling in right field and ninth in the order. The latter may change after his debut. He went 2-for-5 with two RBI. Admittedly, Kling’s RBIs came in “garbage time” of a 9-3 win over Scottsdale. His ninth-inning single scored two runs. He was one of four players in the lineup with at least two hits. No one came close to the night of Cleveland Guardians prospect Welbyn Francisca, who went 5-for-5 with three RBI and three runs.

The AFL is typically a launching pad for prospects who eventually play in the Majors. Texas is hoping the additional at bats for cling we'll position him for a promotion to a higher affiliate in 2027.

He earned a late promotion to Double-A Frisco in 2026 but spent most of the season at High-A Hub City. In 89 games he slashed .243/.383/.361 with seven home runs and 34 RBI. He also had 15 doubles and a triple. His most intriguing asset is speed. He had 40 stolen bases. He fits into a Rangers organization that is trying to get younger and more athletic, per Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young.

Texas drafted Kling in the seventh round of the 2025 MLB draft out of Penn State. He also played college baseball at LSU, where he helped the Tigers win a national title. He transferred to PSU for the 2025 season. The Roaring Springs, Penn., native was the 2022 Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Pennsylvania.

There is a good chance Kling starts 2027 at Frisco, with an opportunity to get promoted to Triple-A Round Rock with a great first half of the season.

The other Rangers prospects invited to the AFL were catcher Julian Brock, infielder Casey Cook and right-handed pitchers Alejandro Chiquillo, J'Briell Easley, Jesus Gamez, Jacob Johnson and Mason McConnaughey. Kling, Johnson and McConnaughey are all Top 30 prospects.

Walcott was a late addition to the AFL and Texas only plays to allow him to play shortstop two or three games per week. When not playing, he’ll continue fielding and hitting work on the side. He had UCL surgery in February, returned at the All-Star break as a designated hitter at Double-A Frisco and began playing shortstop at the end of the minor league season.

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