Donovan Walton

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Seattle Mariners #28 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: A prototypical grinder and baseball rat, Walton made it to the major leagues in his fourth pro season after a four-year career at Oklahoma State. His callup followed a strong performance at Double-A Arkansas, where he was a sparkplug who batted leadoff in the Travelers' order and saw time at both middle infield positions.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: The son of Oklahoma State's pitching coach, Walton has the ceiling of a utility infielder at the big league level with a good chance of having a nice career in that role. He's gritty and plays hard and consistently performs above his tools. While he doesn't have the strength or bat speed to drive the baseball, he has a good approach at the plate, understands the strike zone and consistently puts balls in play. Despite having only average speed, Walton has good instincts on the bases. He's an average or slightly better defender at both middle infield positions, although a below-average arm is an impediment to regular play on the left side.
  
  THE FUTURE: Walton will head to spring training looking to earn a spot on the Mariners' 25-man roster as an extra infielder. He knows his role and thrives in being that extra guy.
• 
  Ranked Seattle Mariners #27 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: A four-year starter at Oklahoma State and the son of a coach, Walton is selfless and plays hard. He hit well at high Class A Modesto in 2018 before scuffling at Double-A.
  
  Scouting Report: Walton is fundamentally strong and has an uncanny ability to slow the game down, with a reputation for pushing his teammates to work harder by example. He has a good approach at the plate and does the little things well, including bunting, advancing runners and taking the extra base. Despite below-average speed, Walton steals bases and is a strong baserunner because of his advanced instincts. He's a capable defender at all infield positions with a tick above-average arm.
  
  The Future: Walton is future utility infielder with a high likelihood of reaching that ceiling.
• 
  Ranked Seattle Mariners #23 prospect in 2018
  Walton is the classic grinder ballplayer. A four-year starter at shortstop for Oklahoma State and the son of a coach, Walton has no plus tools and doesn't profile as a starting big league infielder. However, he is capable of playing every position on the dirt and maximizes his skillset by doing a lot of things right on the field. Walton is exceptionally fundamentally strong and has an uncanny ability to slow the game down when he's on the field. Walton's 2017 batting line of .269/.349/.368 is a reasonable reflection of what he projects to do at the plate. He has a good approach and does all the little things to help the team, like bunting, advancing the runner and taking the extra base. He's a below-average runner but a capable basestealer with good instincts. Walton is a solid defender who positions himself well, and his tick above-average arm strength is enough for any infield spot. Walton missed time in 2017 with a wrist injury, but may be advanced enough to head to Double-A Arkansas to start the 2018 season.
• 
  Ranked Seattle Mariners #30 prospect in 2017
  Walton was a two-time all-Big 12 Conference shortstop for the Cowboys as well as a multi-year team captain and academic all-conference honoree. The Mariners drafted him as a senior and signed him for $125,000 after he helped lead the Cowboys back to the College World Series for the first time since 1999. He earns raves for his tremendous instincts that help his average tools play up. He has above-average bat speed and surprising strength in his wiry frame--particularly from the left side. He is a patient hitter who doesn't miss his pitch. Walton's speed is also average, but excellent baserunning ability makes him an efficient stolen-base threat. He positions himself well defensively and effectively handles both shortstop and second base, though his fringe-average arm fits better at second. The Mariners plan to develop Walton as versatile, switch-hitting utility infielder. He will begin 2017 at low Class A Clinton.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #302 prospect in 2016 draft
  The son of a coach (Rob was head coach at Oral Roberts and now is associate head coach at Oklahoma State), Walton lacks any tool that grades out as better than a 50 and to be fair, there are more 40s than 50s on his report, but he'll likely have a lengthy pro career as a switch-hitting utility infielder who is willing to do whatever is needed. Walton would be stretched defensively as an everyday shortstop, but he can fill-in there after proving a reliable defender in four years at Oklahoma State. He projects as an average defender at second base. As a switch-hitter with contact ability and savvy, Walton's hit tool is his best asset.
• Ranked #308 prospect in 2015 draft
  Son of Oklahoma State pitching coach Rob Walton, Donnie Walton became a fixture in Oklahoma State's lineup the minute he stepped on campus, first as a second baseman and now as a shortstop. The switch-hitter has been a productive hitter with a contact-oriented approach, but he lacks a carrying tool at the pro level. He has an excellent understanding of the game, but he likely will have to move off of shortstop as a professional because of a below-average arm and below-average range. He projects as a solid-average defender at second base. There are a lot of 4s on Walton's scouting report, but his ability to get the most out of his tools make him a high-floor, low-ceiling pick.

• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  Walton returned to the majors this season and saw time at four different positions. He remains a solid utility option for the Mariners to call upon whenever they need.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: A prototypical grinder and baseball rat, Walton made it to the major leagues in his fourth pro season after a four-year career at Oklahoma State. His callup followed a strong performance at Double-A Arkansas, where he was a sparkplug who batted leadoff in the Travelers’ order and saw time at both middle infield positions.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: The son of Oklahoma State’s pitching coach, Walton has the ceiling of a utility infielder at the big league level with a good chance of having a nice career in that role. He’s gritty and plays hard and consistently performs above his tools. While he doesn’t have the strength or bat speed to drive the baseball, he has a good approach at the plate, understands the strike zone and consistently puts balls in play. Despite having only average speed, Walton has good instincts on the bases. He’s an average or slightly better defender at both middle infield positions, although a below-average arm is an impediment to regular play on the left side.
  
  THE FUTURE: Walton will head to spring training looking to earn a spot on the Mariners’ 25-man roster as an extra infielder. He knows his role and thrives in being that extra guy.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: A prototypical grinder and baseball rat, Walton made it to the major leagues in his fourth pro season after a four-year career at Oklahoma State. His callup followed a strong performance at Double-A Arkansas, where he was a sparkplug who batted leadoff in the Travelers' order and saw time at both middle infield positions.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: The son of Oklahoma State's pitching coach, Walton has the ceiling of a utility infielder at the big league level with a good chance of having a nice career in that role. He's gritty and plays hard and consistently performs above his tools. While he doesn't have the strength or bat speed to drive the baseball, he has a good approach at the plate, understands the strike zone and consistently puts balls in play. Despite having only average speed, Walton has good instincts on the bases. He's an average or slightly better defender at both middle infield positions, although a below-average arm is an impediment to regular play on the left side.
  
  THE FUTURE: Walton will head to spring training looking to earn a spot on the Mariners' 25-man roster as an extra infielder. He knows his role and thrives in being that extra guy.