Texas Rangers Spring Training Notebook: Top Prospect Wyatt Langford Continues Historic Spring

Rangers Spring Training Notebook: Wyatt Langford joined a select company with his sixth Cactus League homer on Wednesday. Plus, Crowding the Plate hits a drive-thru lobster place.

SURPRISE, Ariz. — Wyatt Langford has officially had one of the best spring trainings in recorded history.

The Texas Rangers top prospect hit his sixth home run in Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Cincinnati Reds at Goodyear Ballpark.

He's joined a very select company. Langford is the sixth player, aged 22 or younger, to hit at least six spring training homers since numbers were first officially tracked in 2006, according to FanGraphs. Langford leads all Cactus League batters with six homers and leads all major leaguers with 19 RBI and a 1.228 OPS.

Six-Plus Spring Training Homers Age 22 Or Young (since 2006):

Season: Name, Team, Age, HR

2012: Freddie Freeman, Braves, 22, 7

2006: Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals, 21, 7

2024: Wyatt Langford, Rangers, 22, 6

2016: Addison Russell, Cubs, 22, 6

2014: Mike Trout, Angels, 22, 6

2010: Justin Upton, Diamondbacks, 22, 6

SIX homers for @langford_wyatt this spring. 💪 pic.twitter.com/fo1DfW9Dx1

— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) March 20, 2024

Wendzel Back In Minor League Camp

Infielder Davis Wendzel was reassigned to minor league camp on Tuesday. The 2019 first-round pick out of Baylor had a solid Major League camp, but with Josh Jung and Corey Seager on track to be healthy for next week's season opener, there was less need for infield depth. 

The Rangers still have 51 plays in Major League camp, including 32 players on the 40-man roster and 19 non-roster invitees.

"What a nice spring the young kid had; he did a great job at third," Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. "He's just getting better and better and gives us a great option. Hopefully, nothing happens [injuries, for example], but if it does, with where he's at in his career."

Wendzel can play third, shortstop, second, and first base. With the ultra-versatile Ezequiel Duran and Josh Smith, the infield depth should be set, and Seager and Jung should be close to returning to the lineup.

Quotables

"Max is doing really well. You wouldn't know he had surgery on his back the way he's throwing the ball. He's playing long toss, really stretching it out. We're having to hold him back a little bit to stay with what the plan was." — Rangers manager Bruce Bochy on Max Scherzer's recovery

"You want to hit the ground with your wheels spinning. We want to come out of the chute and hopefully show the fans, the baseball world, that we're hungry, we're not complacent. And the fact that we are the world champions. That's the message we'd like to send." — Bochy on his message to the team as the season approaches

Crowding the Plate

You don't find a whole lot of drive-thru-only chain-lobster restaurants.

But Angie's Lobster is real, and it's spectacular.

My only complaint was trying to eat it in my car. That's on me. The cashless drive-thru is set up like a deluxe car wash establishment. You order and pay (card only) via an intercom system and then line up to take your order from the drive-thru window.

Angie's Lobster :: Stefan Stevenson/FanNation, Inside the Rangers

The concept is to bring fresh, relatively affordable lobster rolls, both warm, cold, and fried, along with shrimp and snow crab, to the masses. You don't have to be in Kennebunkport, Maine, to enjoy fresh, tasty lobster. (By the way, one of the best meals I've ever had was a lobster linguine dish at just such a place.)

Since this was my first time trying Angie's Lobster, I ordered both the warm lobster roll and the five-piece fried shrimp meal, which comes with a buttered, toasted bun, fries, and a drink. The buttered toasted buns are exquisite. They're also used for the shrimp and crab rolls, and you can order them a la carte for .79. The next time I return, I'm adding a half dozen of those bad boys. They have the inexplicable tastiness of Raising Cane's toast and the fluffy flavor of a King's Hawaiin roll. Sublime.

Angie's Lobster: Warm Lobster Roll :: Stefan Stevenson/FanNation, Inside the Rangers

You come here for the lobster, however. Look, I grew up in Texas, so I'm no lobster expert. But the warm lobster roll with its accompanying packet of melted butter was fabulous. Generous chunks of fresh lobster meat filled up the bun, and coupled with the drizzled butter, it lived up to the hype. OK, there really was no hype. I hadn't heard of Angie's Lobster until I drove by it on my last spring training trip, which was in March of 2020, right before the pandemic hit. That's a bit confusing because Angie's website says the chain didn't start until 2022 after first gaining notoriety as a Tempe, Ariz., food truck in November 2021. Whatever. Maybe the pandemic caused some delays.

The lobster was top-notch; the shrimp was plump and tasty (and you don't have to mess with tails). One minor quibble was their fries. They weren't exactly hot and fresh out of the vat of oil, which is always preferred. But that could have been a one-off oversight. Or maybe I waited too long to find a shaded place to park to try to enjoy this meal in my rental car, which is not the ideal way to enjoy a lobster roll.

There are five locations in the Phoenix metro area, including a location a few miles south of Surprise Stadium and two more opening soon in Tucson.

Come to Texas, Angie. Preferably somewhere in North Fort Worth.

Angie's Lobster: Fried Shrimp Roll Meal :: Stefan Stevenson/FanNation, Inside the Rangers

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