Wyatt Langford talking trash to Mets shows Rangers rookie uncovered his swagger

Some Texas Rangers fans forget this, but Wyatt Langford is still just a rookie. The outfielder was in college just last year and was Texas' first round selection in the 2023 MLB Draft. The 22-year-old put together an impressive run during spring training, and Langford broke camp with the big league squad and was part of the Rangers Opening Day roster.

Langford's red-hot spring didn't necessarily translate to the start of the season, as the University of Florida alum is hitting just .243/.305/.341 through the first 50 games of his major league career.

But perhaps Langford's first home run (you know, that actually cleared the fence) added some fire to his belly. Langford was feeling his oats during a plate appearance in Wednesday's game against the New York Mets and the cameras caught an interesting exchange between the Rangers' rookie outfielder and catcher Francisco Alvarez.

Wyatt Langford talking trash to Mets shows Rangers rookie uncovered his swagger

After taking a 3-1 lead over the Rangers in the top of the sixth inning, a RBI double off the bat of Texas infielder Josh Smith scored Robbie Grossman and closed the gap to just one run. The Mets made a pitching change and brought in Sean Reid-Foley to face Langford with the tying run on second base.

The 2-2 pitch during the at-bat saw Alvarez attempt to frame the pitch just enough to get a called strike three on Langford, but home plate umpire Edwin Jimenez was wise to the Mets' catcher's scheme. Few backstops in the game over-exaggerate their framing more than Alvarez.

While Alvarez obviously said something to Langford and the umpire, the Rangers outfielder was seen on camera agreeing with Jimenez's call. For those of you keen enough to read lips, Langford said, "It's a ball. It's a ball." Langford was then observed using a not-so-nice word that we'll just describe with the letters MF.

The Rangers' broadcast team was a bit taken aback by Langford's colorful language, but perhaps it's a sign that the outfielder is displaying some confidence. On the next pitch, Langford ground the ball off the glove of the Mets' third baseman that plated Smith and knotted the game at three runs apiece. The Rangers needed two more runs the following inning to break the tie and eventually won the game by a final of 5-3.

Texas needs every bit of swagger from Langford at the moment. The Rangers are in a dead-heat with the Houston Astros for second-place in the AL West and trail the division-leading Seattle Mariners by nine games.

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