Rangers place three prospects in Top 100.


MLB.com’s Pre-Season Top 100 Prospects list is out. The Ranger have three players on it.

Sebastian Walcott, 17

Kumar Rocker, 44

Alejandro Rosario, 50

In their division, the Angels have two, the Astros one, the Athletics two, and the Mariners have seven players, which tie them with the Cubs for most prospects on the list.

Sebastian Walcott’s scouting report:

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 65 | Run: 55 | Arm: 70 | Field: 50 | Overall: 60

Before Walcott signed for $3.2 million out of the Bahamas in January 2023, some scouts were saying that he could become the best player ever from the island nation. He has done nothing to dispel that notion, beginning his pro career by reaching High-A during his pro debut at age 17. He earned South Atlantic League all-star honors at that level last year, leading the circuit in triples (nine), extra-base hits (50) and total bases (192) while batting .261/.342/.443 as its youngest regular (age 18), then dominated in a five-game cameo at Double-A.

The right-handed hitter has thrived against significantly older competition in his first two years as a pro, displaying exceptional bat speed and the ability to produce elite exit velocities for his age. He has no trouble driving balls in the air to his pull side, creates plenty of leverage with his still-projectable 6-foot-4 frame and earns top-of-the-scale grades for his raw power from some evaluators. He has the hand-eye coordination for solid bat-to-ball skills but he’s extremely aggressive at the plate and struck out at a 26 percent clip in 2024, so he may need to tone down his approach at higher levels.

Walcott can flash plus speed and has basestealing ability, but he’s more of a solid runner who could slow a bit as he matures physically. While he needs to get more consistent with his hands, footwork and throwing accuracy, he does have smooth infield actions for his size and a rocket arm. If he winds up outgrowing shortstop or lacking the dependability for the position, he’d profile well at third base or right field.

Kumar Rocker’s scouting report:

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 60 | Slider: 70 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 50 | Overall: 55

Rocker flashed first-round talent as a Georgia high schooler but dropped to the Rockies in the 38th round of the 2018 Draft because he was set on attending Vanderbilt, where he became an immediate star. He threw a no-hitter with 19 strikeouts against Duke in the NCAA Super Regionals and was named Most Outstanding Player of the College World Series as a freshman in 2019, then led NCAA Division I in wins (14) and strikeouts (179) in his other full season in 2021. The Mets selected him 10th overall that July and agreed to a $6 million bonus before a post-Draft physical revealed shoulder and elbow concerns that led the team to walk away from its offer.

Rocker had shoulder surgery in September 2021 before returning to the mound the following spring in the independent Frontier League, where he flashed overpowering stuff in controlled outings. The Rangers shockingly took him with the No. 3 overall pick in 2022, signing him for an under-slot $5.2 million and using the savings to pay fellow right-hander Brock Porter a fourth-round record bonus of $3.7 million. That decision looked suspect when Rocker looked rough in the Arizona Fall League that offseason, but he rebounded to dominate High-A hitters at the start of 2023 — before blowing out his elbow in May and requiring Tommy John surgery. He came back last year with filthy stuff, posting a 1.96 ERA and 55/5 K/BB ratio in 36 2/3 Minor League innings before finally making his long-awaited big league debut in September.

Rocker’s slider attained legendary status after he recorded all 19 of his whiffs in his Duke no-hitter with it. His slide piece overwhelmed hitters again last year, sitting in the mid-80s with two-plane depth and generating a 66 percent swing-and-miss rate in the upper Minors and Majors. He throws two versions of a fastball, favoring four-seamers with run over two-seamers with sink, with the former a tick harder by parking at 96-97 mph and topping out at 100. He also can throw hitters’ timing off with a curveball that sat in the mid-70s last year after showing more power in the past, but his sinking upper-80s changeup is too firm and lacks dependability.

The son of former NFL defensive lineman Tracy Rocker, Kumar is very physical at 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds and seemingly built for durability, though he has totaled just 110 1/3 innings in the last three years. He has a history of throwing strikes but his command is merely average, which got him into jams during his three starts with Texas. He once again looks like the Vanderbilt version of himself, and he could be a frontline starter if he can stay healthy.

Alejandro Rosario’s scouting report:

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 55 | Splitter: 60 | Control: 60 | Overall: 55

Rosario rated as a top-three-rounds talent after reclassifying into the 2020 Draft as a Florida high schooler, yet went undrafted because he was strongly committed to Miami. He got pounded for a 6.47 ERA in three years with the Hurricanes before the Rangers took him in 2023’s fifth round and gave his mechanics and pitch mix a makeover. The results were dramatic during his pro debut last year as he posted a 2.24 ERA between two Class A stops while ranking first in the Minors in K-BB percentage (33.1 percent) and second in strikeout percentage (36.9 percent) and K/BB ratio (9.9) among pitchers with as least as many as his 88 1/3 innings.

Rosario operates at 94-98 mph and reaches 100 with his fastball, and he has found more success blasting it by hitters at the letters in pro ball than he did sinking it down in the zone in college. His 88-92 mph splitter is a swing-and-miss pitch with devastating tumble and run at its best. He has scrapped the curveball and cutter he toyed with at Miami to focus on an 83-85 mph slider that shows flashes of giving him a third plus offering.

After Rosario turned pro, the Rangers moved him to the third-base side of the rubber and had him keep his delivery closed longer to hide the ball better from hitters. He also creates some deception with his flat approach angle and his new mechanics have allowed him to pound the strike zone after he battled his control and command with the Hurricanes. He once again looks like the pitcher who intrigued scouts in high school and has the upside of a frontline starter.

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