CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – 2021 Tom Sox standout Wyatt Langford was named the No. 6 overall prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline, as revealed in an MLB Network special on January 26. Langford arrived in Charlottesville as a relative unknown in 2021 – taking only four at-bats in his freshman season at Florida – and became one of the nation’s best hitters following his summer in the Valley.
Langford was selected by the Texas Rangers – the 2023 World Champions – with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, which included a Rangers record $8 million signing bonus. He then began an ascent unlike few have in his singular pro season thus far, progressing from rookie ball all the way to Triple-A in less than two months. He only continued to build on his record-setting collegiate career, hitting .360 across 44 games with a 1.157 OPS, ten home runs, and 17 doubles. He is described as one of the best power hitters in all of Minor League Baseball, with MLB Pipeline giving him a 70 power grade (on a scale of 20 to 80).
Langford was the leading hitter on the 2021 Tom Sox which won the Valley League Regular Season title, closing with a .345 batting average, eight doubles, and three home runs. His .336 cumulative batting average (factoring in playoff games) is among the top 10 in team history, as is his .517 slugging percentage and .455 on-base percentage. A Valley League All-Star selection, Langford led the team with ten multi-hit games and a 16-game on-base streak.
A unanimous First Team All-American in 2023, Langford guided the Gators to their first Men’s College World Series appearance since 2018, where they made a run to the Finals before losing to LSU. He became the Gators’ second-highest draft pick all-time and was a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award, given to the best amateur player in the country. He is one of three Gators to have consecutive 20-homer seasons. Three of those 20 homers in 2023 came in Omaha, where he homered in three of his final four games en route to a MCWS runner-up finish. The first, against Virginia, was the longest in Charles Schwab Field history – clocking in at 356 feet. The second came in his first career five-hit game, one in which the Gators dominated LSU 24-4.
ABOUT THE CHARLOTTESVILLE TOM SOX
The Charlottesville Tom Sox are driven to promote the game of baseball in Central Virginia through providing a high-quality collegiate summer team, a memorable fan experience, and opportunities for players and interns to grow in the game and in character. A member of the prestigious Valley Baseball League, the Tom Sox have won three league championships since joining in 2015, tied for the most in the league in that span, and have produced 40 MLB Draft picks since 2017 – the most in the league over that span. Additionally, Charlottesville has sent numerous interns to high-level professional destinations, including ESPN, Gray Television, NFL Films, and a number of professional sports teams.
