What will a successful third year look like for Rangers' Wyatt Langford?

Having played just 44 games in the minor leagues to start the 2023 season, Wyatt Langford has been learning the big league game on the job in 2024 and 2025.

He has acquitted himself very well, showing exactly why the Rangers selected the speedy slugger 4th overall out of Florida in the 2023 Amateur Draft. He has improved each season, hitting for more power and stealing more bases.

In year three of his young career, it is fair to expect another step forward in his progression as a well-rounded five-tool player. But what will a successful year three look like in 2026?

Rangers' Wyatt Langford's year-three maturation will be about more than just better statistics

We can throw out a statistical projection of what a solid third year should look like by season's end. Something around 150 games played, a .270 batting average with 25 home runs, 90 RBIs, and 25 stolen bases is realistic, showing a continued upward trajectory, and getting him on the cusp of the All-Star conversation.

Most believe that Langford is much more than the .247 hitter that he has been so far as a professional. The new ABS system will help with that.

Naturally, a second Gold Glove nomination playing left field would be ideal on the defensive side of things.

But with two full seasons now under his belt, there are other areas that Langford needs to grow into if Chris Young and the Rangers' management are going to continue to build around the talented 24-year-old as a centerpiece of the future.

For instance, Young and new skipper Skip Schumaker would undoubtedly be thrilled if Langford became a clubhouse leader who ushers in a new culture that had left following the 2023 World Series season.

The versatile outfielder hasn't indicated that he isn't much of a "rah-rah" kind of guy, and that's fine. Maybe as he takes more ownership and becomes more comfortable being a vocal presence, that will emerge. Even if it doesn't, he is the kind of athlete who can lead by example.

His old-school, aggressive approach and hustle are infectious and would be easy for teammates to emulate and rally around. Showing up to camp in peak physical condition is another way in which Langford can send a message to both veterans and young players alike. The last thing the team needs is to lose him multiple times to the IL with oblique issues like last season.

The ABS system and better plate discipline will be something to watch for Wyatt Langford in 2026

Langford has a good eye at the plate. In the same number of games played in 2024 and 2025, he bumped his walk total up from 51 to 74, but his strikeouts also increased from 115 to 151.

As we have noted before, Langford has been on the wrong end of an unusual number of bad calls on balls out of the strike zone that put him into tough counts. He should be a big beneficiary of the new ABS system, which will be implemented for the first time at the MLB level this season.

The difference between a 1-2 count and a 2-1 count is such an important hidden stat for a hitter like Langford, who doesn't get cheated on his cuts.

Look for him to be tapping that helmet and challenging frequently this season - particularly on balls just off the outside edge where he is very disciplined and got dozens of raw deals last year.

Ranger fans have seen the raw potential in Langford as he looks to climb a steep learning curve at the MLB level, and hopefully year three will be a breakout campaign in several ways.