Watch Texas Rangers Top Prospect Wyatt Langford Rip Single In First Spring Training Workout
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SURPRISE, Ariz. — Wyatt Langford's first day of big league spring training is in the books.
So far, so good.
The Texas Rangers opened their first full-squad spring training workout on Monday, including live batting practice pitting pitchers against position players.
The action was happening simultaneously at multiple backfields at the Rangers spring training complex, including a hitting group that included Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford.
The top two prospects in the organization took turns facing Dane Dunning, Cody Bradford, and Chasen Shreve.
Langford smacked an opposite-field "single" on a 1-2 pitch against Bradford. He walked in a couple of at-bats, earning a "good eye" from hitting coaches.
Langford was the No. 4 overall pick in the MLB draft in July and is in his first big-league camp. He's rated MLB's No. 6 prospect, right behind Carter, who is still rated No. 5 despite his extensive postseason action during the Rangers' World Series title run. By the time Carter turns 22 in August, he'll be removed from "prospects" rankings.
The Rangers are open to Langford, 22, earning an Opening Day roster spot despite his inexperience. He spent time with a "stay ready" group of players the Rangers kept around during the postseason. That should help Langford make the rapid transition after less than two months of minor-league action last summer, manager Bruce Bruce Bochy said.
"To be up with us, to participate in the live pitching, to be around the guys and get to know them a little bit, I'm sure that gives him a little sense of comfort," Bochy said. "Maybe a sense of belonging because he was with us quite a bit, and he faced a lot of our pitchers. He got to know the guys they got to know him, so that makes it a little bit easier for a guy who is in his first year after being drafted. So I think that's going to be very helpful for him."
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