The Rangers emptied their prospects pantry to get MacKenzie Gore. This was a farm system that was already void of depth. But the one player they held tight was Sebastian Walcott. He seems to have been on the Rangers prospect radar for a decade. Somehow, Walcott is only nineteen.

He’s the number-six overall prospect in baseball who hasn’t played above Double-A, but has been invited to spring training in the major league camp. That doesn’t mean he will break camp with the Rangers. But this is fast-tracking his ticket. Since trading Marcus Semien, the Rangers seemingly opened up a spot for Walcott that will be filled with Josh Smith until Walcott is ready.

But that might not be the case. Walcott has not played a single game at second. In 293 minor league games, he’s logged most of his time at short, thirty-eight games at third, and sixty-five starts as DH.

The Rangers are going to slow play his arrival. They’re not desperate for help this year, at least not yet. That sluggish offense of the past two seasons, slightly improved for 2026, will have its chance to prove itself. President of baseball operations Chris Young has said he built a team that will compete for the World Series. That remains to be seen. But as the trade deadline nears, and if the Rangers are hopelessly out of it like they’ve been the past two seasons, it wouldn’t be surprising if they trade Seager and open the door for the Walcott era to begin. As a shortstop. His rightful position.

That seems the most logical reason to bide their time with Walcott, and that he’s only nineteen.