The Texas Rangers selected University of Florida outfielder Wyatt Langford with the No.4 overall pick in Sunday’s Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft.
Langford, 21, batted .363 with 47 home runs and 120 RBIs in three seasons with the Gators. He hit a 456-foot home run in the 2023 College World Series (CWS) in Omaha, Nebraska.
“I’ve always played as hard as I can,” the 6-foot-1-inch, 215-pound Langford said at the CWS, where Florida lost in the championship series to LSU in three games.
“I’ve always just focused on what I can control, which is me, and let my hard work translate into my game. That’s how I was raised. And it’s been so special to share that with my community back home in Trenton. It’s meant so much to have such a special career just a short trip from home.”
Pitcher Paul Skenes, a 6-foot-6 right-hander from LSU, was the No.1 overall pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Skenes led the Tigers to the CWS title, striking out 45% of the hitters he faced in the regular season and postseason.
The Washington Nationals took another LSU player, center fielder Dylan Crews, at No.2 overall. Crews was a two-time SEC player of the year and won the 2023 Golden Spikes Award as college baseball’s top player.
The Rangers, meanwhile, came into the draft with a roster full of stars. Five players will start for the American League in Tuesday’s All-Star Game.
Outfielder Adolis Garcia was added to the lineup last week, joining catcher Jonah Helm, second baseman Marcus Semien, shortstop Corey Seager and third baseman Josh Jung.
Sunday’s high draft pick was almost like a bonus for Texas, one of baseball’s top teams this season.
Even though they’ve lost seven of their last 10 games, the Rangers’ 52-39 record puts them two games ahead of the Houston Astros (50-41) in the American League West race, going into the All-Star break.
MLB draft position is based on last season’s record. The Rangers finished 2022 with a 68-94 record, the third-worst mark in baseball.
They have not won a divisional title since 2016 and were picking in the top five for the third-straight year.
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TOP 5 PICKS IN 2023 MLB DRAFT
1. Pittsburgh Pirates: Paul Skenes, RHP, LSU;
2. Washington Nationals: Dylan Crews, CF, LSU;
3. Detroit Tigers: Max Clark, CF, Franklin (IND) Community High School;
4. Rangers: Wyatt: Wyatt Langford, OF, University of Florida;
5. Minnesota Twins: Walker Jenkins, OF, South Brunswick (NC) High School.
MLB.com has pick-by-pick selections on its website. Find them here.
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RANGERS’ RECENT DRAFT HISTORY
Texas’ last five first-round picks:
2022: Kumar Rocker, RHP, Vanderbilt/Tri-City ValleyCats (No.3 overall);
2021: Jack Leiter, RHP, Vanderbilt (No.2);
2020: Justin Foscue, 2B, Mississippi State University (No.14);
2019: Josh Jung, 3B, Texas Tech (No.8);
2018: Cole Winn, RHP, Orange Lutheran (Calif.) High School (No. 15).
