Steele Walker, Texas Ranger has a nice ring to it. That’s good because you may hear it quite a bit now that he is a Ranger. Nomar Mazara was traded to the Chicago White Sox for their # 6 ranked prospect, Steele Walker. He moves to # 12 in the Texas Rangers farm system. The hot stove was really on fire at the time of this trade. Evan Grant broke the news around the time as the New York Yankees signing Cole was being reported.
Walker was drafted in the second round (46th overall) of the 2018 draft by the White Sox. Walker is 23-years-old and is from Prosper, which is just North Frisco and Dr Pepper Ballpark. He’s already been assigned to Frisco. He is a center fielder and bats from the left hand side. That had some Ranger fans questioning the trade since the Rangers are left-handed heavy. This trade does a few things.
- Frees up at bats for Calhoun
- Gives CF depth in the farm system
- Gives another prospect for a trade chip
I admit, I didn’t know anything about Steele Walker but everything I am reading is good. He’s got a good eye at the plate.
He played 3 seasons of College baseball with the University of Oklahoma where he batted .326, .404 OBP, .522 SLG and OPS of .925 in 170 games.
He played in low-A ball and High-A ball this year in the White Sox farm system.
In 20 games with the Kannapolis Intimidators, Walker batted for a .365 AVG with 11 RBI. In 100 games with the Winston-Salem Dash he batted .269 with a .346 on-base percentage. He walked 42 times, which shows the pitch recognition I’ve heard about.
power is his best asset and he gets to it in games in great style. good approach and his bat to ball isn’t bad, though he really doesn’t hit lefties atm. arm is fine but not great, he can run but he isn’t that fast. covers center but looks more like a corner guy to me, esp left https://t.co/FK1jhIF14s
? Ben Spanier (@b_span2) December 11, 2019
Zach Bigley weighs in
I imagine we’ll see @steele_walker3 with the @RidersBaseball this season. After watching him in the Carolina League last year, he brings an obvious love for the game to the field every day and fans are sure to love him! https://t.co/DZVJKrkDkG
? Zach Bigley (@zachbigs) December 11, 2019
Walker has no major-league experience and hasn’t played above High-A but that changes in 2020.
Here is a video showing a little of what we will see in Frisco in 2020.
We all know the Rangers have a crowded left-handed outfield so it makes sense that one was traded.
What do you think of this trade? Have the Rangers already won or is it still too early to tell?
Steele Walker made his Major League Debut with the Texas Rangers on June 5, 2022. He went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
Walker was claimed by the San Francisco Giants on August 7, 2022, after he was designated for assignment by the Rangers. The Giants assigned him outright to the Sacramento River Cats, their Triple-A affiliate.
