Rangers, Bruce Bochy have a major problem with their star rookie hitters

It's early, and they're rookies, but the start of the 2024 season hasn't been all peaches and cream for the duo of Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford. They've had their moments, but the outfielders have also seen their fair share of struggles.

Carter's power had been absent until recently, and Langford, who was added to the Texas Rangers Opening Day roster because of the power he displayed during spring training, just got his first home run of the 2024 season this past weekend. And it didn't even leave the yard (though seeing an inside-the-park home run is quite entertaining).

The power will come with a better understanding of the pitchers they're facing, but Rangers' manager Bruce Bochy is hopeful that another area of their game will come along with more experience. Both Carter and Langford have struggled mightily against left-handed pitching this season.

Rangers, Bruce Bochy have a major problem with Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford

As a team, the Rangers rank 16th in Major League Baseball with a .638 OPS against left-handed pitching. Texas has struggled to draw walks against southpaws, taking a free pass just 21 times in 296 plate appearances. But Carter and Langford have been two of the biggest culprits when it comes to Texas' lack of success against lefties.

Carter is just 2-for-16 against left-handers and neither of his two hits have gone for extra bases. Carter has struck out six times during those 16 ABs while drawing just a single walk. He's hitting a meager .125/.222/.125 when a lefty is on the bump.

Langford, believe it or not, has actually fared a little better than Carter when it comes to matching up with lefties. The rookie is 5-for-26 with a triple, a home run, and five RBI. Unfortunately, Langford has gone down on strikes eight times and still owns a .192/.267/.385 slash line against southpaws through the first month of the season.

But as bad as the two rookies have been, Corey Seager has equally awful against lefties. The Rangers shortstop is hitting just .143 with a .372 OPS. Josh Smith has surprisingly been Bochy's best hitter against left-handed pitching, with a .400 batting average and .993 OPS.

While a lot of Rangers fans want to immediately elevate the rookie pair of Carter and Langford to everyday players, until they find success against left-handed pitching, it's going to make Bochy second guess these two outfielders late in games if the circumstances favor the opposing pitcher.

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