Wyatt Langford's roller coaster year paints a puzzling picture for Rangers future

Wyatt Langford dropping to the Rangers with the fourth pick of the 2023 MLB draft was viewed as one of the biggest steals. The strong, athletic, fast outfielder from the University of Florida flourished in his junior season, leading to him being one of the top scouting prospects.

The former Gator didn't miss a step after debuting in the Rangers' organization. In just 47 minor league games, not only did he hit .351/.469/.649/1.118, but he also convinced the Rangers front office that he was ready.

Chris Young and the front office responded to his success by giving him a spot on the Opening Day roster for the defending champions, where he recorded hits in each of his first three games and looked like he was a mainstay. Later that same month, he added even more electricity by hitting his first career home run of the inside-the-park variety.

However despite all of that, Langford's first month-plus in the big leagues did not go well. He had a weak .628 OPS in his first month and followed that up with a .286 OPS in just six May games before going down with an injury.

He returned in late May and looked like a completely new player. During the month of June, Langford clubbed four homer while maintaining a .309 batting average and a strong .894 OPS. He looked like he had gained his swagger back and was finally hitting the ball with some authority.

But the roller coaster season continued on.

Since July 8 and up until this week, Langford has just six hits over his last 43 at-bats. That also includes a stretch where he was 0-for-27. Why has this continued to happen?

Well it's worth noting that it is very rare for a rookie to come up and have instant success. It's hard to think of many players who have debuted and never looked back after an incredible start to their careers. Basically any player not named Mike Trout had at least some growing pains when entering the league.

That being said, Langford will have major success at the big league level throughout his hopefully long career. The talent is simply too rare, and we have already seen flashes of him being incredible. Rangers fans just need to be patient, and there is no doubt in my mind he will deliver over the next five years.