Spring training is such a fun time because fans get to see players in action that would normally be hidden away in the minor leagues or on the depths of the bench. For the Texas Rangers, that has meant seeing some of the best prospects in baseball like Wyatt Langford, Justin Foscue, and Sebastian Walcott give fans a preview of the exciting times to come in Texas.
It is rare for a player to win a roster spot outright with only a strong spring training. However, players get on folks' radar all the time during the preseason and can set themselves up for opportunities down the road. As for the known commodities, a strong spring can often turn a coin flip-type decision into forcing the team's hand to give them a chance. In a couple of cases at Rangers camp, that could very well be what we see happen.
The goal here isn't to highlight established veterans performing well in spring training. Yes, Adolis Garcia has looked great since being held out of games for a bit, Evan Carter and Marcus Semien have been raking, and Nathan Eovaldi looks ready to pitch a playoff game. Instead, the focus is going to be on guys that have seized the opportunity that spring training has provided them, who were otherwise on the outside looking in.
5 Texas Rangers players taking advantage of 2024 spring training
Wyatt Langford
The first name for this list is an easy one in top prospect Wyatt Langford. Whenever a guy is picked in the draft as highly as Langford was by the Rangers, fans will immediately want to know when he could debut. In most cases, the answer would be after a full year (at best) with a couple years being more likely. However, Langford's ascent has been anything but normal and he has shown no signs of slowing down this spring.
Through eight games in camp, Langford is slashing .300/.423/.750 with three homers, and this is after he rocketed his way through the minor leagues after being drafted last year. Given that Langford is a college bat that would have been a first overall pick in many draft classes, it's clear that Texas is going to give him every opportunity to convince them to carry Langford on their Opening Day roster. If he can keep this pace up, they may not have any choice but to do so.