For the first time this season, I got out to see some Texas League baseball in Frisco between the Frisco Roughriders (TEX) and the Midland Rockhounds (ATH). By the way, the ballpark in Frisco is fantastic with a lot to do and a lazy river in right field! Definitely one of my favorite minor league ballparks I’ve ever been to so if you live in the DFW area or are visiting, go check out a game there. It was a lot of fun to see some Double-A action and the main attractions of the weekend did not disappoint, that being Sebastian Walcott and Gage Jump. I won’t bury the lede any further, let’s dive into some Walcott and Jump along with some others that caught my eye in this series. 

Sebastian Walcott, SS TEX (Double-A)

There are some guys you watch in the minors and just know that they’re different from the rest. Walcott is one of those guys. There are areas he needs to grow in, but he has what you can’t teach and is remarkably polished for a guy who just turned 19 years old in March. Walcott absolutely dominated the first game I saw him in, ripping an RBI double in the left-center gap and later was able to catch a fastball out in front and send a missile over the left field wall. He has a dream body for any scout and is a quick-twitch athlete standing at six foot four.

Despite his age, there’s muscle in his frame, a rarity for someone that tall and young. The raw power is immense and his elite hand speed makes the ball jump off his bat on impact and the power is effortless. It doesn’t look like he’s trying to swing hard or do damage, his natural swing does that job and then some. His swing is really smooth and his hands don’t drift, it’s a direct path to the ball. The swing is not too uphill either, with the perfect amount of loft when he catches the ball out front. He doesn’t try to do too much and lets his hands and bat speed do the job. For a 19 year old in Double-A to show this much gap and home run power is rare and if he continues on this same path, I’m comfortable projecting a 30-35 home run hitter in the big leagues.

There’s going to be some swing and miss and Walcott’s swing can get a little long with two strikes than I’d like, but that’s something that will improve along with his approach as he gets more experience. Walcott did expand and chase out of the zone a couple times on breaking balls, but he also did a good job laying off some competitive ones. Spin recognition is still an issue, but he’s taken significant strides there in a short time.

I only got one look at Walcott defensively at shortstop (DH for the second game), but he looked solid there. His hands are what impressed me the most, they were smooth and he looked sure handed. He made an excellent play charging a check-swing grounder and flipped the ball to second with just his glove to give Frisco a chance at turning two when they looked like they had no chance to. I didn’t get a great look at his range to either side, just because of the opportunities he had that game. The arm is more than good enough for shortstop or third base though and given Corey Seager is going to be with the Rangers for the long-term, I’d bet third base is where he ends up eventually.

Walcott is comfortably a plus runner for his size, and I clocked him at 4.18 home to first on an infield single that he ran full out. His strides are super long given his size and that certainly helps. My expectations were really high before going to see Walcott in-person, but he honestly blew them out of the water. I didn’t expect his game to be as polished as it was and if his approach continues to improve the way it has been year after year, the Rangers have themselves a future five-tool superstar on their hands. The athleticism blew me away and the power is for real and it’s going to continue to show up in games as his approach progresses. Walcott is worth all the hype he’s been getting and then some. 

Gage Jump, LHP SAC (Double-A)