Wyatt Langford Makes Rangers Opening Day Roster

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.

SHARE

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!

Related Stories

Tomlin Named VBL South Division Coach of the Year

Charlottesville Tom Sox Head Coach Randy Tomlin was named the 2024 Valley Baseball League South Division Coach of the Year, the league announced Monday (August 12). Tomlin earned the honor after leading the Tom Sox to the league championship and a league-best 26-13 regular season record. 

Six Tom Sox Players Selected to All-Valley League Teams

Six Charlottesville Tom Sox players were selected to the 2024 All-Valley League South Division teams, the league announced Wednesday. Of those six, five were named to the first team, while the 'Sox placed one on the second team.

Five Tom Sox Selected on Final Day of 2024 Draft

Five current and former Tom Sox players were selected on the third and final day of the 2024 MLB First-Year Player Draft, as announced by their respective clubs on Tuesday (July 16). Included in the day three selections were 2024 ‘Sox outfielder James Nunnallee (UVA incoming freshman), 2023 pitcher Jordan Little (Virginia Tech), 2022 pitcher Wyatt Lunsford-Shenkman (East Carolina), 2022 infielder Christian Martin (Virginia Tech), and 2021 pitcher Chase Centala (UCF).
Tom Sox logo

vs.

VALLEY LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP
BLUE OUT

TONIGHT - 7 PM
CHARLOTTESVILLE HIGH SCHOOL

Add to Calendar

Google Calendar

Follow these instructions to add to your Google Calendar:

2. Click the following link to visit Google. Paste the copied link into the URL field then click Add Calendar to complete the process.

Outlook Calendar/Office 365

Currently, Microsoft does not support our format of live calendar. They do, however, support downloaded files. Follow these instructions to add to Outlook:

1.

Click this link to download the calendar file to your computer.

2. Visit Outlook’s calendar view, press Add Calendar, then Import ICS.
3. Select the ICS file you downloaded and the calendar you’d like to import to, then click import.
Please note that this format does not support live updates of game dates and times.

Other Calendar

Follow these instructions to add to your calendar app:

2. Find the function in your chosen calendar app to add a calendar by URL. It may be called “subscribe via link” or “add shared calendar”. Paste the link there, then press the respective button to add to your calendar.

If such a function does not exist, click the below link to download the calendar file and upload it to your calendar app. Please note that this calendar will not update if game dates or times change.
Tom Sox Calendar

Tom Sox Poker Tournament

March 23 – 7 PM – Elks Lodge