Rangers Top Prospect to Watch Next Season Could Boost Infield Depth

The Texas Rangers have talent in the pipeline and the prospect to watch next season is an unsurprising one.

A Texas Rangers cap and baseball mitt sit on the dugout steps during a game against the Athletics at Globe Life Field. | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

On paper, the Texas Rangers’ infield is pretty set except for second base, where there will be a competition to replace Marcus Semien.

Will that competition involve Sebastian Walcott? The Rangers have no intention of rushing their No. 1 prospect. But that doesn’t mean he can’t play his way into playing time in spring training. Given his body of work, it’s possible.

Recently, MLB.com released its prospect to watch for each team in 2026 and Walcott was its unsurprising choice. He is the Rangers’ No. 1 prospect and the No. 6 overall prospect in the game, per MLB Pipeline. How quickly he contends for playing time will be entirely up to him and how well he plays.

Sebastian Walcott’s Rise

MLB.com selected Walcott because of the steady progress he’s made since signing a $3.2 million bonus deal out of The Bahamas in January of 2023. He’s been one of their top prospects since then. He played in an MLB Futures Game in 2024 and was selected to play in the 2025 Arizona Fall League, though the Rangers shut him down after one game due to arm fatigue.

He’s made it this far and he hasn’t yet turned 20 years old. He’ll hit that benchmark on March 14, when he’ll probably be in Surprise, Ariz., as a non-roster invite to Rangers Major League spring training. The expectation within the organization is that he won’t be pushed into the role of being the starting second baseman, even though he’s a natural middle infielder. Josh Smith, Ezequiel Duran and Cody Freeman are the likely contenders to play second base.

But there could be room for Walcott at some point in 2026, even though he has yet to play above Double-A Frisco. Last season he slashed .255/.355/.386 with 13 home runs and 59 RBI. He got in playing time at multiple positions, but he’s listed as a shortstop. Because of his age and the veteran players the Rangers have in the middle infield, they’ve had the luxury of not only allowing Walcott’s development to be organic but to allow him a full season at Double-A.

His 6-foot-4 frame screams potential power hitter at the Major League level. He’s grown into it, having gone from seven home runs in 2023 to 11 home runs in 2024 to 13 last season. The RBI totals have gone up, too. He now has a better eye at the plate, as he walked 70 times while striking out 108 times, the narrowest spread of his career.

Unless something drastic changes, the Rangers will start Walcott at Triple-A Round Rock. If he follows his 2025 path, he’ll likely struggle to start the season and then pick up steam. Whether he gets to the Majors this coming season will come down to his consistency and whether the options at second base give the Rangers what they need.