Sebastian Walcott is getting his first crack at Triple-A tonight, and the Texas Rangers are wasting no time in giving their top prospect a new stage.
The club is promoting the infielder from Double-A Frisco to Triple-A Round Rock, according to Scott Lucas. Frisco’s season ended with yesterday’s loss in Game Three of the Texas League Division Series, so Walcott is sliding into Round Rock for the final two days of the Triple-A season.
He likely would have reached Round Rock earlier if not for the internal brace surgery he had this spring. Walcott got back on the field for Frisco in mid-July and put together a strong run, hitting .322/.398/.586 over 171 plate appearances in 37 games. All but one of those games came at DH, and that’s where he’ll be for Round Rock tonight as well.
The 20-year-old shortstop is widely regarded as a consensus top-25 prospect, and he’s in the mix for a major league job next spring, most likely at third base or in right field. There’s also a path for him to reach Texas before then. With Joc Pederson sidelined, the Rangers don’t really have a true DH against lefties or righties right now.
How the organization weighs his bat, his development, and the possibility of a lengthy lockout this winter will matter. If Walcott isn’t added to the 40-man roster, he would keep working with the organization’s coaches and staff during any work stoppage. That decision could leave him in play for the major league roster during the final week of the regular season.
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Jordan Montgomery and the rest of the pitching staff had to pick up the slack from there, and they did just enough to keep Toronto from turning the game back around. For Texas, the result was bigger than a single night in the standings. It was also a reminder that a team can still survive an early rotation scare if the offense shows up and the bullpen can keep the damage from spreading. [Read more 🡒]