SURPRISE, Ariz. – It was only a matter of time, but the future is now. Texas Rangers Manager Bruce Bochy announced Friday that former Tom Sox star Wyatt Langford, the fourth overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft, will begin his season on the Major League roster for the defending World Series champions.
Langford joined the Tom Sox in 2021 off of a season where he took four total at-bats for Florida, then put together two straight All-American seasons for the Gators. Langford made history in July as the first Tom Sox player to be picked in the first round of the draft after being picked fourth overall. In his Florida career, he drew more walks (92) than strikeouts (89) and set Florida’s all-time slugging percentage record at .746. In June at the Men’s College World Series, he hit the longest home run in the history of Charles Schwab Field at 456 feet to even an eventual win against Virginia.
Langford was a member of the 2021 Tom Sox team who won the Valley League regular season championship, and which featured ten MLB draft picks. Langford finished the year with a .336 batting average, which ranked seventh in team history at the time (now tenth), and also currently sits among the top-10 in single-season slugging percentage (.517), on-base percentage (.455), and putouts (226).
Since the MLB Draft in July, Langford has experienced a rise among few have seen in less than eight months. He advanced from rookie ball to Triple-A in less than two months, slashing .360/.480/.677 with ten home runs and 30 RBI in August and September last year. He has made a massive impression in Spring Training this year, leading all players in OPS (1.242) and tying for third with six home runs. His .796 slugging percentage also leads the league, while his .388 batting average trails only Mookie Betts and his .446 on-base percentage trails Betts and Nationals prospect James Wood.
Langford is the fifth Tom Sox player to reach the Majors, joining Vinnie Pasquantino (2017), Evan Justice (2018), Kyle Nicolas (2018), and Carson Spiers (2018). He becomes the first Tom Sox player in the post-COVID era to advance to MLB and the second 2023 draftee, following Nolan Schanuel (LAA)’s callup last season. He joins 2023 All-Star Adolis Garcia, postseason hero Evan Carter, and regular starter Leody Taveras in the Texas outfield.
The Tom Sox organization extends their full congratulations to Wyatt, and we wish him best of luck in 2024 and beyond!
