With Spring Training beginning in 12 days, we have to bring up one of the most exciting prospects the Texas Rangers have, Wyatt Langford. He is not wasting time trying to find a way onto the Rangers Opening Day roster this upcoming season. Langford quickly rose through the minor leagues after being drafted in July. He finished the season in Round Rock. The Rangers have invited him to Spring Training for a chance to make the Opening Day roster.
While seeing Langford's name in the lineup would be nice this season, The Rangers should take their time with him and make sure he develops correctly. The last thing the Rangers want to happen is to promote him early, and he struggles and loses confidence. Here is the realistic percentage that Wyatt Langford will end up on the Opening Day lineup this season.
Wyatt Langford Chances at Rangers Opening Day Roster: Why he should make the opening day roster?
One of the main reasons why Langford should be added to the Opening Day roster is his batting average was not below .330 at any minor league level in 2023. Langford showed he doesn't mess around at the plate and would help the offense this season.
The Rangers could easily find a trade partner for Leody Taveras. The Rangers could shift Carter to center field and put Langford in left field. Even Bruce Bochy said he is going into spring training with an "open mind" about Langford.
Wyatt Langford Chances at Rangers Opening Day Roster: Why starting in Triple-A would not be a bad thing for Langford
Langford starting with the Round Rock Express would be the conventional thing for the Rangers organization to do. Langford was sent to Triple-A for a short stint after the Frisco RoughRiders season ended. While batting .368 with the Express is impressive, it was for only five games. The front office should want to know if the stat line is a fluke or not before adding him to the Opening Day roster. You don't want to have to rebuild his confidence if he doesn't do well in the Texas Rangers lineup.
What chance do I give Wyatt Langford to make the Opening Day Roster?
I think Langford has a 40% chance of making the Opening Day roster for the Texas Rangers. The Rangers want to see if his stint in Triple-A was not a fluke in September. If Langford is still slugging the ball in Round Rock to begin the season, he will be promoted to Arlington. Langford could blow Bruce Bochy and the Rangers' front office away at spring training and make the roster. Young and the front office may not want to rush things, and put him out there before he is ready.
Langford is a pretty exciting prospect that the Rangers were lucky to get last year in the MLB Draft. There will be fans who might not be happy if he doesn't make the roster this season, but let's look at the bigger picture. Langford is young, and there's no rush to put him on the roster. You want to make sure Langford is ready for the MLB, and it doesn't crush his confidence if he has a bad start to his career. Langford will hopefully be creating highlights in a Rangers uniform sooner rather than later.