Wyatt Langford moved up to the No. 2 spot in our just-released weekly-updated Top 500 Prospect Rankings as the muscle-bound slugger is laying waste to a third level since going fourth overall in the MLB Draft in July.
The Rangers’ 21-year-old righty-swinging outfielder has an insane triple-slash of .414/.550/.828 with 3 homers in his first 9 games for Double-A Frisco on the heels of a 1.097 OPS in 24 games for High-A Hickory and a 1.275 OPS in 3 games in the Arizona Complex League.
How is Langford leapfrogging the Brewers’ Jackson Chourio and the Rays’ Junior Caminero in the rankings? By putting all his fantasy-friendly tools on display over just 36 pro games.
Power: Langford’s first Double-A homer had an exit velocity of 108 mph, reminiscent of his 112-mph bomb in the College World Series.
Speed: He has 8 steals so far, although he’s just 0-for-1 in 9 games for Frisco. The raw speed is there, but it’s too early to tell if stolen bases are going to be a big part of his game.
Plate discipline: Langford has drawn 10 walks against just 3 strikeouts in Double-A and has compiled a 18.1% walk rate to a 15% strikeout rate across 3 levels.
Langford matches Caminero’s power but with more projected steals and batting average. Langford has more power and hit tool than Chourio but not the steals. It’s close, but Langford’s tantalizing blend of tools has put him on the heels of the Orioles’ Jackson Holliday for the top spot in our rankings.
Langford was a bit hidden in the buildup to the MLB draft behind LSU’s super duo of Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews, who went in the first two picks, and the two top prep hitters, Walker Jenkins and Max Clark. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound catcher-turned-outfielder helped get his Florida Gators to the College World Series, where they lost in the finals to LSU. Langford put up a .373/.498/.784 triple-slash with 21 homers in his junior season to become a consensus top-5 pick going into the draft.
The Rangers had Langford fall into their laps at No. 4 after the Tigers took Clark at No. 3. Now Langford has a great chance to make the Rangers’ Opening Day roster coming out of next spring training.
Joining a loaded lineup that features Marcus Semien and Corey Seager at the top and Adolis Garcia in the middle, Langford could soon settle into the third spot, allowing him to make a run at 100 runs and 100 RBIs per season.
We’re hoping to get the chance to see both Langford and Holliday in the Arizona Fall League, where we could reassess who should be the No. 1 prospect heading into the 2024 season.
Langford’s massive power and incredible start in pro ball has us dreaming of .300/.400/.500 triple-slashes with 40 homers and 20 steals in his near future.