When to expect Sebastian Walcott’s MLB Debut

The Rangers might have another superstar on their hands.

Sebastian Walcott is the most hyped up prospect since… Wyatt Langford. While yes, it hasn’t been a long time since a mega prospect burst onto the scene, Walcott has something that sets him apart from Langford. The fact that is he only 18 years old.

Walcott will turn 19 before the minor league season starts, but what he has done so far is unbelievable. When the Rangers signed him in 2023 for $3.2 million, there were scouts saying that he could be the best player to come from the Bahamas. The most notable player from there is Yankees Shortstop Jazz Chisholm who Walcott drew comparisons to.

However, it seems that his ceiling may even be above that of the all-star shortstop. He has been incredible in the minor leagues.

He started in Foreign Rookie Ball with DSL Rangers Blue, his age showed as he only hit .161 while slugging .323, and an on base plus slugging of .704 in nine games. After that he earned a promotion to Rookie Ball. That was surprising to some people, but that was due to his patience at the plate. He walked 10 times compared to eight strikeouts.

Walcott looked better when he made the jump to ACL [Arizona Complex League] Rangers. He was much better as he slashed .273, slugged .525 and put up an on base plus slugging of .849.

All big improvements from his previous stint. This show that Walcott was getting the hang of things and beginning to come into his own. He did hit his first home run with the Rangers in the Arizona Complex League as he swatted seven of them in the 35 games he played.

His strikeouts did overtake his walks with 51 strikeouts to go along with 10 walks. He did swipe nine bags as he showed off his speed and his ability to put pressure on the pitcher.

Before the 2023 season, Walcott got called up to High A Hickory Crawdads. He impressed so much that he skipped the Down East Wood Ducks completely. He got a cup of coffee with them before the season ended. He hit a minor bump in the road. He played in four games, with just a .154 batting average and no home runs.

It was not the way that he wanted to start his Hickory career, but to even be there was impressive for the 17-year-old.

In 2024, Walcott was out to show that he belonged in Hickory. In 116 games, he hit .261, slugged .443, and had an on base percentage of .786. He hit 10 home runs with 49 rbis and swiped 26 bases to go along with it.

He greatly improved and showed his value to the lineup. He would hit towards the top half of the lineup and set the table for them with his quick legs. His power got better, but still wasn’t anything crazy.

That isn’t to say that Walcott will never be a power hitter. He is just 18-years-old and weighs 190 pounds while standing at 6’4. If Walcott can put on the muscle to match his height than he will be a force to be reckoned with.

His showing in Hickory earned him a promotion to Double A. He joined the Frisco Roughriders for five games. In those five games, Walcott was off the charts. He put up a monstrous .348 average in that span along with a .609 slugging percentage and an on base plus slugging of .984. He also connected on one homer with 7 rbis.

Walcott should start 2025 in Frisco. I would not expect him to keep up his torrid rate from the previous year, he might even stumble a bit out of the gate like he did in Hickory. However, he will get his feet under him and it needs to be remembered that he will only be 19 years old. That would make him 5.2 years younger than the average of players in Double A.

He is currently ranked 23rd out of the top 100 prospects according to MLB Pipeline.

I would say to expect Sebastian Walcott to make his debut in 2026 with him spending about half of 2025 in Frisco before making the jump to Round Rock. Then he would be able to push his way onto the team in 2026.

However, if Walcott keeps up that torrid pace from his games in Frisco last year, he could force the Rangers’ hand and be a part of the team before the 2025 season is over.

Either way if you’re a Rangers’ fan, you have to be excited about Sebastian Walcott and what he will do as a player for the Rangers. I would certainly say that he will be a superstar for them when he reaches the major leagues.