Walcott’s first Fall League homer is a grand slam in Surprise’s 12-5 win

Sebastian Walcott hit his first Arizona Fall League home run with the bases loaded Friday, helping the Surprise Saguaros beat the Mesa Solar Sox 12-5 at Surprise Stadium.

The Rangers prospect singled earlier in the first inning, then came back to the plate and homered to left off Nicholas Judice. His grand slam capped a nine-run first and put Surprise ahead 9-1. The official game record lists Walcott with two hits in five at-bats, four RBIs, two runs, a walk and two stolen bases.

Watch Walcott’s grand slam on MLB.com

MLB Pipeline’s Sam Dykstra reported that the ball traveled 397 feet with a 98 mph exit velocity despite wind blowing in from right-center. It was Walcott’s fifth game of the Fall League, where he is making up development time after undergoing internal brace surgery before the season.

Walcott told Dykstra that he changed his bat angle while recovering, aiming to stay behind the ball and lift it more easily. He studied Fernando Tatis Jr.’s swings as a model, then adapted what he saw to his own setup.

The results began showing before Walcott arrived in Arizona. Across 41 minor league games after returning in July, his groundball rate fell to 33.9 percent from 46 percent in 2025, Dykstra reported. His slugging percentage rose from .386 to .590. Those figures describe his minor league work, separate from Friday’s Fall League box score.

Friday gave him a chance to contribute beyond the home run. After Mesa narrowed the deficit, he reached on an error during Surprise’s three-run fourth inning, then drew a walk in the sixth. His two steals added to a day in which the Saguaros turned eight hits into 12 runs.

Walcott finished the game batting .300 with a .375 on-base percentage and .500 slugging percentage through 24 Fall League plate appearances, according to MLB Pipeline. The early sample is small, but the grand slam gave him a tangible result from the swing work he described.

MLB Pipeline: Walcott explains the swing change · Official Mesa-Surprise box score