Rangers Won’t Place Limits On Wyatt Langford
The Rangers enter 2024 with the same projected outfield that they featured in the World Series: Evan Carter in left field, Leody Taveras in center and Adolis Garcia in right.
Wyatt Langford is trying to crash the party.
Drafted fourth overall out of Florida in 2023, Langford will be in the mix for big league outfield and DH at-bats as soon as Opening Day after a riveting pro debut. He hit .360/.480/.677 with 10 home runs in 44 games, spending the final week of the season at Triple-A Round Rock.
The 22-year-old Langford’s lack of MLB experience is not a glaring concern for the Rangers.
“We don’t believe in limits on players,” Rangers assistant GM Ross Fenstermaker said. “We believe in our evaluators and our (research and development) group to determine when a player is ready.”
Langford spent the majority of his pro debut in left field but has flashed double-plus run times—he stole 12 bases in 15 tries—and has experience in center field.
Most of his at-bats came at High-A Hickory and Double-A Frisco. He finished his season in Arlington as part of an extra group of players who continued to work out in case they were needed for the postseason.
GM Chris Young said that Langford was not considered as the replacement for Garcia after he was injured during Game 3 of the World Series. But that does not disqualify him for Opening Day this year.
“I think the biggest thing is a true path and opening to playing,” Young said, “but we are putting the best team on the field to go win major league games.
“If that’s Wyatt Langford or Evan Carter—or whomever else is not in the organization yet—that’s our job to put the best team out on the field.”
RANGERS ROUNDUP
— The Rangers’ Opening Day roster could feature 2020 first-rounder Justin Foscue, a second baseman who also plays the infield corners. The 25-year-old has impressed the club with his bat-to-ball skills and has worked this offseason on making harder contact more consistently. Texas added him to its 40-man roster in November to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft pool.
— Righthander Kumar Rocker, drafted third overall in 2022, started a throwing program seven months after having Tommy John surgery. He made six starts for High-A Hickory before injuring his elbow. The Rangers expect him back in the summer.
