Rangers Putting Sebastian Walcott Through Outfield Drills

Rangers top prospect Sebastian Walcott is currently getting extra at-bats in the Arizona Fall League. While he’s there, the club is having him work out in the outfield, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.

Walcott has only played shortstop and third base in the minors. He hasn’t played an AFL game in the outfield yet, but the club hopes to get him some reps on the grass. Director of player development Josh Bonifay has been running Walcott through outfield drills before games.

“I feel confident going into the outfield,” Walcott told Grant. “I just feel like it’s pretty simple. Like you’re just running balls down, catching fly balls. I feel it’s just pure athleticism out there in the outfield.”

The 20-year-old Walcott was in the mix for a big-league roster spot before an elbow injury wrecked his season. He had an internal brace procedure to address the issue and didn’t suit up until mid-July. Walcott had another strong minor league season, slashing .322/.398/.586 with nine home runs and 11 steals in just 37 games at Double-A. He played two games at Triple-A to finish the year.

Walcott will probably open the year at Triple-A, but he should be contributing with the Rangers soon enough. Adding the ability to play the outfield will only strengthen his bid for a promotion. Walcott is currently blocked at shortstop by Corey Seager. Josh Jung had a solid season as the everyday third baseman. There’s a vacancy at DH with Joc Pederson heading to free agency, but Texas might be hesitant to stunt Walcott’s defensive growth by sticking him there every day.