Sebastian Walcott is one of the main attractions at the Arizona Fall League.
The top-10 overall minor league prospect will play for the Surprise Saguaros over the next month-and-a-half, aiming to continue his quick trajectory toward the Major Leagues.
Walcott recently sat down with Games Hub to talk about his Fall League expectations, comparisons to Elly De La Cruz, sticking at shortstop, his Bahamas roots and more.
Q: This is some of the best competition from the minors and at 19, you’re still a pretty young guy. Are you looking forward to the challenge?
Sebastian Walcott: “Oh, yeah. I’m excited to be with all these guys, me and the teammates I’ll have for a whole month. Then we’ll go back to being enemies. But yeah it’s great being with the guys, learning from them and playing with them.”
Q: How did you get word you were coming to the Arizona Fall League?
SW: “My farm director called me midway or coming to the end of the season. He said, ‘You’re going to the Fall League.’ I was like, ‘Sounds good.’”
Q: Did they expound on how impressed they are with your progress?
SW: “Yeah, they are very happy and impressed with me. I’m just trying to have fun out here. Play good baseball, get extra reps in.”
Q: Someone you remind me of when I see you is Elly De La Cruz, a shortstop of similar height. Do you watch him and feel like you can take things from what he does?
SW: “Most definitely. A lot of people say I move like Elly. Watching his game, I see the similarities a little bit. I can take stuff from his game and add it to my game. He’s a special player who does special things.”
Q: That’s a high compliment isn’t it, if people are comparing you to someone like Elly?
SW: “Yes, sir. I take with a grain of salt and just try to play my game. That’s the main thing. I’ll play my game, and whatever comparisons come with it, they come with it.”
Q: Do you feel like you can stick at shortstop? I know a lot of players your height eventually move to third.
SW: “I definitely feel like I can stick at short. I’ve just got to put double the work in compared to what everybody else is doing. As a tall guy it’s kind of hard to move laterally and stay down, get the good bounces, so I have to put in twice as many reps as anybody else. But I feel like if I do that, I’ll be fine.”
Q: Do you get back to the Bahamas during the offseason?
SW: “I do. I get back for the holidays, see family and friends. It’s a little reset when I go back there. Hang with some friends, go to the beach a little bit.”
Q: How much pride do you have in being from the Bahamas?
SW: “Oh, I have a lot of pride. Bahamas is a small country. There are not a lot of players in professional baseball from there, and it’s only Jazz (Chisholm) in the big leagues. I take a lot of pride in what I do on the field, off the field. Make sure I do the right thing, make sure I have my head on good so I put a good name out there for the Bahamas.”
Q: When you go back, do people talk to you about baseball? Is it on their mind?
SW: “Yeah, they’ll usually ask how the season went, and I’ll tell them how it went. But then I’ll move on from that and just talk about life, how everyone’s doing.”
Q: What kind of relationship do you have with Jazz?
SW: “I don’t really talk to Jazz that much, but I have his number, so if I feel the need to talk about something baseball-related, I feel like he will be open to talking about it. He’s an open book. He wants players like us from the Bahamas to pick his brain and get knowledge from him, because he’s been in the big leagues for five years now. He has a lot of experience in this game. He can definitely help me with that.”
Q: “I know every guy wants to stay day-by-day, but do you think sometimes about trying to get to the majors early?
SW: “Sometimes, but it’s not on my brain all the time. I want to be where my feet are. You have a game that day, so it’s focusing on that game instead of worrying about what the future holds. In order to excel in the future, you have to control the present. As long as what I’m controlling what I’m doing right now, everything will take care of itself.”
Q: When you’re out there every single day you really do have to be focused. Did it come naturally?
SW: “My dad helped me with that. He calls me basically after every game, just checking on me. We talk during the offseason a lot. We’re always talking about baseball. He just gives me advice on the mental side of the game. It helps a lot. I’m very appreciative of that.”
Q: Did he play baseball?
SW: “No, he played basketball.”
Q: OK, so how did you get into baseball?
SW: “My older brother played baseball. I started baseball because of my brother. My dad wanted my older brother to play basketball, but my older brother picked baseball. So I followed my older brother.”
Q: Nice choice. Are you any good at basketball?
SW: “I haven’t played in years, so I don’t really know. I’m not too confident about that.”
