The biggest improvement Rangers star Wyatt Langford must make to win Silver Slugger in 2027

The Rangers and their fans have been waiting for left fielder Wyatt Langford to break out and become the All-Star-level, Louisville Silver Slugger winner that everyone expected coming into his third full major league season. Unfortunately, due to various injuries and extended slumps, that hasn't materialized, and many are now asking if Langford will live up to the hype that comes with being the 4th overall draft pick.

After the All-Star break, Langford got hot, and it looked like he had figured it out. It looked like he would contend for his first Silver Slugger Award and have a strong finish to the season. Rangers insider Evan Grant tweeted that at one point in July, when the Rangers were headed to Tampa Bay to take on the Rays, he was hitting .284 with an .826 OPS. As of September 13, Langford's average has dipped to .241, and his OPS is down to .767. That's a significant decline in just five weeks.

What changes can Rangers star Wyatt Langford make at the plate to win his first Louisville Slugger Award?

We still think that there are many accolades, including a Silver Slugger trophy, in Langford's future. Still, he needs to make some adjustments at the dish to make that happen.

Langford is a very strong player with a short, compact swing based on a low center of gravity. He has relatively short arms, and he gets everything out of his 6-foot, 225-pound frame. With that lower center comes a swing plane that is more susceptible to getting under pitches and hitting more balls in the air.

If he had enough at-bats to qualify among the league leaders, his 16.9% infield fly ball rate would be seventh-worst in the MLB. He's getting underneath pitches at an alarming rate and making far too many unproductive outs. Skip Schumaker has moved him out of the prized 3-slot in the batting order down to 5th. He just isn't barreling balls at the same rate he was in July.

When he moved his hands down to his chest at address, he started to hit the ball hard. Now, using the same stance, his timing and mechanics are off, and he has been mired in a 6-week-long slump.

Hitting coach Justin Viele knows Langford's tendencies better than anyone. It is time that the two of them get into the cage and figure out why the slugger keeps hitting the lower half of the ball so often, and make adjustments to correct it. The Rangers' postseason hopes may very well depend on him returning to the form that we all know is in there somewhere.

Langford, who is typically dealing with some sort of nagging injury, is not using his health as an excuse. He was recently quoted in the Dallas Morning News saying, "I'm fully healthy. I'm just playing bad." Hopefully, that changes for the stretch run, as there are just 12 games remaining on the 2026 schedule.

If he can figure out how to get on top of the ball more often, individual achievements like the 2027 Silver Slugger Award will take care of themselves. The talent is undeniable, but the Rangers need him to deliver on the promise of that talent before it becomes clear that he's more tools than production.

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