The one question waiting to be answered all Spring has been whether or not Wyatt Langford would break camp with the big league squad. On Friday that question was answered as Bruce Bochy confirmed Wyatt Langford would indeed be on the Opening Day roster.
It has had us wondering, though, was this ever really a question?
Since becoming the #4 overall draft pick in 2023, Langford has exceeded every expectation from the Rangers Front Office. He’s also been the talking point of most Rangers conversations, which is impressive considering the club just won their first World Series in franchise history.
Langford is a special talent, excelling in all five tools a major league talent can possess (Speed, Defense, Arm Strength, Contact, Power). His defense is really the only weakness the eye can see, but it’s far from anything to lose sleep over.
And it’s not just Rangers’ fans who are in awe of the talent that is Wyatt Langford. Analysts across baseball can’t mention the Texas Rangers without commenting on the impact Wyatt Langford could have in this lineup. Some analysts have even thrown out player comps to that of Mike Trout. High praise for a guy that was playing SEC ball 12 months ago.
With the news breaking of Langford breaking camp at the MLB level, we took it to the Prospect Times staff for their instant reactions.
Heath Criswell: “I’m not surprised that Langford made the Opening Day roster. I saw him a couple of times in Frisco and that was enough for me to completely believe in this kid. The Rangers got extremely lucky he fell to them at 4. We’re going to see a lot of Langford bombs (26) and he’ll be named the AL Rookie of the year.”
Brady Cottar: “Langford getting called up less than a year after getting is unprecedented for many player, unless you get drafted by the Angels. He has been the best player on whatever team he has been on since he was a sophomore at Florida, including spring training this year. Ranger fans hope and believe he can be a steady presence in the middle of the order for a team that just won the inaugural team Silver Slugger Award for the American League.”
“Making the team on opening day shows he has so much potential that the team would rather have him for the full season than try to manipulate his service time. Though, if he was a finalist for the AL Rookie of the Year award he would get a full year of service anyways. Let’s hope Langford and Carter are both finalists for the award and propel the Rangers to their first AL West crown since 2016 and another World Series!”
Bennie Bullock: “I began to research our possibilities in last year’s draft, back in the fall of 2022. Wyatt Langford and Walker Jenkins quickly became the two guys I began focusing on the most. When it got time for me to make predictions for the 2023 season on a Rangers message board I frequent, one of the areas to predict was who would the Rangers draft. I picked Langford based on how the mock drafts were going. As his season unfolded, I began to think that would be wishful thinking.
“I am so glad it worked out for the Rangers to draft the young man. I think Wyatt is about to start what will be a Hall of Fame career. I look forward to seeing him and Evan Carter put themselves at the forefront of the Rookie of the Year competition this year. I sure hope the Rangers lock up both of them to long term contracts soon.”
Evan Sully: “Leading up to the 2023 MLB Draft, I was certainly nervous that the Rangers “only” had the fourth overall selection in a star-studded class that featured prospects such as Dylan Crews and Paul Skenes. If anything, my highest hopes for Texas was that high school outfielder Max Clark would be available. However, I, like many Rangers fans, was both astonished and grateful that Wyatt Langford fell into the lap of General Manager Chris Young.”
“And quite frankly, Wyatt Langford, in my humble opinion, has quickly become the best draft pick in franchise history. The former Florida Gator has impressed me given his swift development. Not only does Langford lead the Cactus League with 20 RBI’s after hitting .375 with 6 home runs, but he also needed just 44 games in the minor leagues in 2023 to prepare himself to make the Opening Day roster.”
“It looks like Langford will begin his MLB career as a DH, and that’ll work out just fine for the defending World Series champions.”
Graham Cochran: “The confirmation that Wyatt Langford will begin the 2024 season with the big-league club will not only impact the Rangers in their campaign to defend their World Series title, but potentially help restock the Rangers farm system in the future.”
“In an effort to prevent teams from manipulating service time and promote promising talent out of spring camp, MLB implemented the “Prospect Promotion Incentive” which has the potential to award teams with a 1st round compensation pick should their prospect win AL/NL ROY. To qualify, a prospect must (1) Be recognized on a pre-season Top 100 list from two of http://MLB.com, Baseball America, and/or ESPN; (2) Be rookie eligible per MLB rules; and (3) Accrue a full year of service time while being active on the roster by Opening Day or within two weeks.”
“Adding Wyatt Langford alongside Evan Carter to the AL ROY race from Day 1 will only increase the chance the organization will be able to lay claim to the extra 1st round pick and bonus pool money in the 2025 Draft, helping to restock a farm system which helped fuel the Rangers to their first ever title.”
Nick Gilanfar: “After being selected in the 2023 draft out of the University Florida to the Texas Rangers with the 4th overall pick, Langford has already secured a spot in the major leagues after a dominant Spring Training hitting .375 with 6 HRs and 20 RBI’s which was the most in all of Spring Training. Langford’s career in the Ranger system so far has been nothing but efficient playing only 44 games in the minors hitting .360 with 10 Home Runs. Now, Langford is slated to be in the Opening Day lineup likely hitting at DH in the “five hole”.”
“Noted by General Manager Chris Young, the Rangers are likely to execute a DH rotation that could include Langford, Duran, Barrero, etc. It sure wouldn’t be a surprise if Langford gets the first go ahead at DH come opening day. With Langford coming up, there will be an extra dosage of focus for the reigning World Series champion Texas Rangers with both Wyatt Langford and Evan Carter in the lineup as prominent Rookie of the Year candidates. With the emergence of both Langford and Carter reminds MLB fans of 2022 when the Atlanta Braves were defending World Series champions bringing up two rookie standouts in Michael Harris II and Spencer Strider.”
Join the discussion and let us know your thoughts on Langford making the roster. Better yet, what are your expectations for the Rangers in the 2024 campaign.
