Why Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford may regress in 2025

Contrary to what many baseball fans may tell you, growth is not linear.

Texas Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford enjoyed a productive rookie campaign, and showed why many within the organization are bullish about his potential. While it would be natural to expect a stellar 2025, reality dictates that he may be due to temporarily regress before truly finding his footing as a MLB mainstay.

Across 134 games, the Florida native cranked 16 home runs, collected 74 RBIs, earned a .253 batting average, and boasted a decent OPS of .740. Langford also ended the year on an absolute tear. He hit .300 in September and had an AL-best eight home runs during the month.

"What's impressed me the most with Wyatt is just his aptitude, his hunger, his work, and just his unwavering belief and commitment to being great," Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young said. "And we saw that over the course of the season. The month he had in September was just phenomenal."

Why Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford may regress in 2025

Langford's rookie year certainly granted a multitude of reasons to be excited about his future. But, it is possible he performed ahead of schedule during what initially figured to be a "learning experience."

The Trenton native ranked in the 67th percentile in Hard Hit%, the 57th percentile in K%, and the 86th percentile in Chase%. It is rare to see this kind of discipline from a rookie. But, opposing pitchers have now seen that Langford will not easily chase, and they will probably change how they attack him.

Each offseason, hitters attempt to make tweaks that will help them stave off such adjustments. Langford will have to continually work on his discipline and ensure he does not pick up any bad habits. It will be particularly important for him to hit line drives and not just fly balls or ground balls.

Whereas the Rangers would not mind if Evan Carter was a pure contact bat in 2025, it is evident that they'd like Langford to slug the baseball and be dual-threat hitter.

He has the skillset to consistently hit for power, but finding a way to do so will require him to stay mentally sharp against pitchers who will actively try to outsmart him. Langford could still be in for a big 2025, but there will be growing pains along the way.