Texas Rangers Prospect to Watch in 2024
The top prospect in the Texas Rangers minor league isn’t the top prospect to watch next season. If that doesn’t make much sense, there’s a reason.
A technicality in prospect rankings skews things somewhat when it comes to prospect and MLB rookie status. MLB.com recently compiled a list of the prospects to watch for each club.
The Rangers’ entry is Wyatt Langford, even though Evan Carter is still listed a prospect. Per MLB.com:
The obvious answer would be top prospect Evan Carter, who made his debut in September and still maintains rookie status through 2024, but that feels like cheating after his run through the postseason. Langford, the Rangers’ 2023 first-round Draft pick out of the University of Florida, is the next MLB-ready hitter in the Texas system.
Yes, Carter isn’t going back to the minors. In fact, he’s one of the Rookie of the Year favorites going into next season.
Langford is next up and for good reason.
MLB Pipeline's No. 13 overall prospect (Rangers' No. 2), Langford jumped across four levels of the Minors and finished hot in Triple-A to end the regular season, good for a .360/.480/.677 slash line in his first professional campaign. He will likely start 2024 with Triple-A Round Rock after playing five games there in '23, but he’s no doubt knocking on the big league door.
Finding a spot in the outfield figures to be unlikely for Langford, especially early in 2024. Adolis García, Leody Taveras and Carter seem to be locked in as everyday starters.
Langford has been mentioned as a possibility at designated hitter, but it’s probably more beneficial to get steady at-bats and outfield reps at Triple-A. But it he continues to tear the cover off the ball for Round Rock, the Rangers could face a decision.
It would be a good one.
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