Inside The Rangers

Another Reason To Hate Yankees! Colton Cowser Deserves AL Rookie Honor, But Texas Rangers' Wyatt Langford Snubbed

Texas Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford finished with a historic September but was not one of three finalists for the A.L. Rookie of the Year award.

Stefan Stevenson

Sep 22, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers left fielder Wyatt Langford (36) celebrates with shortstop Josh Smith (8) and second baseman Marcus Semien (2) and right fielder Adolis Garcia (53) after Langford hits a three run home run against the Seattle Mariners during the sixth inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Sep 22, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers left fielder Wyatt Langford (36) celebrates with shortstop Josh Smith (8) and second baseman Marcus Semien (2) and right fielder Adolis Garcia (53) after Langford hits a three run home run against the Seattle Mariners during the sixth inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
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The three finalists for the American League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year award were announced Monday, and Texas Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford isn't one of them.

Was Langford overlooked? Even snubbed? Maybe, but Baltimore Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser, the clear frontrunner for the award, is one of the finalists, and he deserves the honor.

Langford, however, has an argument for at least being a finalist over two New York Yankees: right-handed pitcher Luis Gil and catcher Austin Wells.

Langford tied for third with a .253 batting average among qualified rookies, above both Cowser and Wells. He also had a better on-base percentage (.325), more RBI (74), doubles (25), and triples (4), and was second only to Cowser with 74 runs scored in 134 games.

Members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America submit their votes for the individual awards before the postseason begins.

Cowser played in 26 games in 2023 before hitting a rookie-best 24 homers and 123 OPS+ in 2024. Wells's inclusion seems to be an East Coast bias selection. Multiple players, especially Langford, had better numbers.

Langford, who earned the Rangers Rookie of the Year honor from local media, had 16 homers, including eight in September when he batted .300 and had a .996 OPS. He also tied for second with 19 stolen bases (in 22 attempts) among rookies.

Wells batted .229 with 55 RBI, 42 runs, 18 doubles, and 13 homers. In every single offensive category, Langford had better numbers than Wells. In fact, Boston Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu, who led all AL rookies with 33 doubles, and Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Spencer Horwitz, who led all AL rookies with a .265 batting average, had much better offensive numbers than Wells, regardless of his perceived prowess behind the plate.

Just another reason to hate the Yankees.

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Stefan Stevenson
STEFAN STEVENSON

Stefan Stevenson worked as a journalist and editor at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram for 25 years, covering sports, concerts, and general news. His beats have included the Dallas Cowboys, the Texas Rangers, and Texas Christian University football.

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