Wyatt Langford hits first over-the-fence home run of his career
Wyatt Langford has one career home run but something was missing. The ball on April 28 against the Cincinnati Reds never went over the wall, being an inside-the-park home run — a fun moment from the rookie out of Florida. There was still another hurdle, almost quite literally, for Langford to get over before feeling like he had a home run on the resume.
The moment finally came on Tuesday against the New York Mets. Langford took an 0-1 sinker on the inside corner of the plate to deep left, traveling 414 feet. A near no-doubter at Globe Life Field, giving Langford his first over-the-fence home run of his career.
Rounding the bases had to feel pretty good, as did getting back to the dugout to celebrate with his Ranger teammates. They made him wait for a few seconds though, giving him the silent treatment after the milestone moment.
You can watch the full sequence from Langford here.
Langford has played in 48 games this season after making the Texas Opening Day roster. This time last year, he was playing in the College World Series and was still a couple of weeks away from being drafted in the MLB Draft. Langford somehow fell to No. 4 overall, being picked behind the LSU duo of Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews, while the Detroit Tigers took outfielder Max Clark No. 2 overall.
After a short but strong performance in the minors and showing out in Spring Training, the Rangers promoted him to the Majors.
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Some early-season struggles eventually led to a stint on the Injured List with a hamstring problem. But since returning, Langford has been slashing well in a struggling Rangers lineup, being one of the lone bright spots. No moment had to be better than the home run he hit against New York.
Langford was hitting .236 heading into Tuesday night, getting on base around a third of the time and having an OPS of .612. His 21 RBIs are good enough for seventh on the squad while adding five doubles and three triples. While the extra-base hits were there, a lack of over-the-fence home run was hanging over Langford’s head.
Everyone in Texas is hoping this is the start of something special for Langford. Not many players are with the big league club less than 12 months after being drafted. Langford is thought to be different and the power surge was just on stand-by.