Rangers land Florida star Wyatt Langford with No. 4 overall pick
(AP photo/Gary McCullough)
Florida outfielder Wyatt Langford was expected to be one of the first three draft picks Sunday in the MLB Draft and gone before the Rangers selected at No. 4.
He hits for average and power, runs pretty well and has a strong arm. The 456- and 449-foot home runs he crushed in the College World Series is the two longest blasts since the CWS left Rosenblatt Stadium.
But there is no predicting the MLB Draft, despite the endless attempts and multiple rounds of mock drafts. Langford wasn’t one of the first three picks, and the Rangers didn’t let him slip any further.
The Rangers selected Langford and expect to sign him ahead of the July 25 deadline. If all goes according to plan, they expect Langford to become a fixture in the lineup for years to come once he reaches the major leagues.
As one of the best players in college baseball the past two seasons, he might not be all that far away.
I am really pumped. I was hoping for Langford and Crews slightly less than him, and I got my top wish at 4th. I had Crews/Langford, then Clark/Jenkins, and finally Skenes. I was worried about the Kyle Teel rumors, especially after the Rocker blunder and how extraordinary luck saved them with Porter signing in the 4th round. I guess the GM upgrade from a Cornell guy to a Princeton one is quite noticeable intellectually. I also think Daniels was more of a risk-taker, and I really wanted him to stay, but I think that a risk-averse guy like CY fit this draft. Both are pretty smart, but Young is more of my type. I know that most fans can complain about the first rounder and then have no knowledge of the other rounds, but I am glad the Tigers stuck with Clark so Texas can get who a coach and some MLB.com guy referred to as the next Mike Trout. I hope to see Carter and Langford, with Garcia and perhaps Harris/Zavala/Foscue/Crim??? in the outfield.