Langford played three sports at Trenton High School in Florida before heading to Gainesville to focus on baseball at the University of Florida. He barely played as a freshman but burst onto the scene in 2022 as a sophomore, earning All-American status by leading the SEC and tying Matt LaPorta’s single-season Gators record with 26 home runs while finishing with a .356/.447/.719 line. A solid performance with Team USA last summer added to his resume as one of the best hitters in the 2023 Draft class, something he only cemented with another strong spring after shaking off an early injury.
Langford has five-tool potential. He can really hit, with excellent swing mechanics and a very good approach at the plate, one that helped him limit strikeouts while drawing walks. It also aided in his ability to tap into his considerable raw power, which some area scouts said is plus-plus. Strong and muscle-bound, he’s capable of being at least an above-average runner as well.
While he was a third baseman and a catcher in high school, Langford started every day in left field for the Gators in 2022. There was some thought he’d slide over to center field this year, and reports on him there last fall were very encouraging, but he ended up back in left once the 2023 season got underway. He plays hard and aggressively and it would surprise no one if he ended up in conversations for the No. 1 overall pick.
Undrafted as a Trenton (Fla.) HS third baseman in 2020, Langford got just four at-bats as a Florida freshman before destroying college pitching the next two seasons. He topped the Southeastern Conference with 26 homers in 2022 and led NCAA Division I with 28 doubles and 52 extra-base hits in '23, hitting .373/.498/.784 last spring while helping the Gators reach the College World Series finals. Signed for a Rangers-record $8 million as the No. 4 overall pick, he continued to rake in his pro debut, slashing .360/.480/.677 with 10 homers and 12 steals in 44 games while reaching Triple-A.
A complete package at the plate, Langford stands out most with his plus-plus power to all fields, which he generates with an easy right-handed stroke that lets him launch balls in the air. By letting his massive strength, electric bat speed and natural loft work for him without swinging for the fences, he makes consistent loud contact and projects as a .280 hitter with 35 or more homers per season. He makes sound swing decisions and controls the strike zone, walking more than he struck out during his college career and his first taste of pro ball.
Though he's a good athlete with solid to plus speed, Langford spent most of his college days and his first pro summer in left field. While there's some thought that he could handle center field, Texas has more capable defenders at that position in Leody Taveras and Evan Carter. With fringy to average arm strength, Langford likely will remain in left and should make his presence felt in the big leagues at some point in 2024.
Langford went undrafted as a Florida high school third baseman in 2020 and got just four at-bats as a Florida freshman before exploding into one of the most devastating college hitters the last two seasons. He led the Southeastern Conference with 26 homers in 2022 and took the Gators to the College World Series finals this year, batting .373/.498/.784 while topping NCAA Division I with 28 doubles and 52 extra-base hits. The best power prospect in the 2023 crop, he went fourth overall and signed for a Rangers-record $8 million.
Langford generates well above-average power to all fields with ease, employing a simple right-handed stroke that allows him to drive balls in the air to his pull side without selling out for power. He lets his considerable strength and bat speed do all the work, and his mature approach allows him to make consistent hard contact and leaves him with no obvious weaknesses at the plate. He manages the strike zone well and projects as a .280 hitter with 35 homers per season.
Though he's a solid to plus runner, Langford played mostly left field for the Gators in deference to faster players. Texas will see what he can do in center field but most scouts believe he'll eventually wind up back on a corner. He has average arm strength and did some catching in high school and summer ball, though there are no plans to try him behind the plate.
These run values are leveraged, meaning the base/out situation at the time of the event does impact the run value (thus introducing context outside the batter's own contribution).
Note: xHR tells how many of this player's home runs would have been out of other stadiums. The "Adjusted" view here accounts for different wall heights, distances and environmental effects using Statcast Park Factor data.
Standard
Year
HR
2024
16
11
17
21
19
21
22
16
19
11
19
22
15
17
22
14
14
15
24
22
18
24
23
19
13
17
16
13
23
22
20
Player
16
11
17
21
19
21
22
16
19
11
19
22
15
17
22
14
14
15
24
22
18
24
23
19
13
17
16
13
23
22
20
Note: xHR tells how many of this player's home runs would have been out of other stadiums. The "Standard" view here accounts for different wall heights and distances but excludes environmental effects. It is based purely on the observed trajectory of the hit.
! Note: Shifts are through the 2022 season, Shaded starting from the 2023 season, Shift: three or more infielders are on the same side of second base, Shade: positioned outside of their typical responsible slices of the field. Learn more about how positioning is defined here
