Texas Rangers Young Star Is Only Continuing To Improve After Stint on Injured List

The Texas Rangers have impressed many people so far this spring with their quick start to the season, sitting at 15-11 and atop the American League West. They have gained momentum compared to last season. Despite some early injuries to the starting lineup and some struggling batters, they have managed to overcome all that and show that they are a force to be reckoned with.

One of the most notable injuries throughout the first few weeks was to their young star outfielder Wyatt Langford, who has become one of the most crucial parts of the team over the course of his first season in the MLB. In 2024, he would slash .253/.325/.415 with 74 RBI, 74 runs, 16 home runs, and 115 strikeouts to 54 walks. His fielding was also impressive in the outfield, as in 927.2 innings he would only allow two errors to 208 putouts and eight assists, good for a .991 fielding rate.

This success in what was his rookie season would give the Rangers hope that he could become one of the best players on the team long-term, and in 2025, it seems that may already become the case. After a somewhat slow start slashing .244/.333/.561 ahead of his injury, he would miss some time, and then immediately turn things around in the next five games.

As of now he is slashing .350/.429/.700, with nine RBI, eight runs, six home runs, and 12 strikeouts to eight walks. Not only has he improved his consistency, but his overall production, which is something many were looking to see in year two for the standout outfielder. His fielding has remained exceptional with no errors through 146.2 innings, having produced 29 putouts on as many attempts.

When looking at his rankings among the MLB on Baseball Savant, it is clear why he has improved so drastically. He is 80th percentile or higher in batting run value, xwOBA, xBA, xSLG, barrel percentage, bat speed, and sprint speed, with multiple of those being 90th percentile or higher as well.

He is seeing both fastballs and breaking balls very well, which is enormously difficult to do early on in a professional career, so seeing him do it, even if in a small sample size, is impressive. He has been able to keep the ball between the foul poles and is making extremely hard contact on many occasions, but it is consistently sitting around 90 MPH or so, with a maximum of 111.9 MPH.

Overall he has shown immense talent in year two, and hopefully as things progress, he will continue to develop and truly become an elite force for Texas.