Inside The Rangers

Could Wyatt Langford Become Texas Rangers Best Player This Season?

The Texas Rangers have plenty of young talent on their team, but their former top draft pick stands out above the rest.

Cameron Zunkel

Sep 17, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers left fielder Wyatt Langford (36) hits a ground run double against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at Globe Life Field. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Sep 17, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers left fielder Wyatt Langford (36) hits a ground run double against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at Globe Life Field. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
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The AL West is a tough division, and it is not getting any easier. However, the Texas Rangers might have the best player in the division this season with Wyatt Langford.

The division has Julio Rodriguez, Yordan Alvarez, Mike Trout and others, but Langford has the ceiling to become the best player.

He was drafted in the first round with the fourth overall pick by the Rangers. It did not take him long to make it to the bigs, though. The University of Florida product made his MLB debut on Opening Day of 2024.

In his short time in the minor leagues, Langford quickly rose through the ranks. He did not play more than 24 games at any level. Still, he was able to bat .360 with a 1.157 OPS, 10 home runs and 12 stolen bases in 44 games played from rookie ball through triple-A.

Spring Training is where Langford really made his mark.

The then-22-year-old played in 21 spring games. He had 63 at-bats, and hit .365 with six home runs, 20 RBI and an OPS of 1.137.

That was all Texas needed to see to put him on the Opening Day roster.

During the 2024 season, Langford had some struggles early. He was batting just .222 through the month of May. However, he bounced back in June with a .309 batting average, three home runs and 22 RBI. That performance earned him AL Rookie of the Month. Langford was able to earn the same award and overall player of the month in September when he hit .300 with eight home runs, 20 RBI an OPS of .996.

In total, the young superstar finished with a .253 batting average, .740 OPS, 16 home runs, 74 RBI, 19 stolen bases and a 3.9 WAR.

Langford enjoyed a solid rookie campaign.

He was seventh in the Rookie of the Year voting, and he stayed relatively healthy. Langford also accomplished a feat that only Jackie Robinson achieved before him.

Looking towards 2025, he is a player who could easily finish as the best player on the Rangers.

His speed and power are rare in the MLB. He is someone that has the ability to join the 20/20 or even the 30/30 club

Langford also has the defensive ability to win the Gold Glove.

In 927.2 innings played in left and center field, he made just two errors while racking up eight outfield assists.

It is not going to be easy for him to improve, or even replicate these numbers in 2025. He was carried by two very good months in June and September in 2024. Still, he is a player who has the potential to finish with a WAR closer to 5.0 while making an All-Star appearance this season.

Texas is going to be good for a while, and Langford is going to be at the forefront of that.

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Cameron Zunkel
CAMERON ZUNKEL

Cameron Zunkel is a sports writer from the western suburbs of Chicago. He played Division-II baseball at the University of Illinois at Springfield where he earned a masters degree in Communication. Cameron also played independent league baseball for the Joliet Slammers and Schaumburg Boomers of the Frontier League. He has been in journalism for the better part of two years now, and has a passion for baseball specifically. His other work includes writing sports betting articles for ClutchPoints. In his free time, you can catch Cam at the gym, on the golf course, or coaching the youth in the beautiful sport of baseball.

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