Former Florida outfielder Wyatt Langford, drafted fourth overall last year, will make the Texas Rangers’ MLB roster on Opening Day.
Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy confirmed that outfielder Wyatt Langford, the fourth overall draft pick in the 2023 draft out of Florida, would join the MLB team on Opening Day at just 22 years old.
Langford’s journey to The Show happened incredibly fast. Viewed as the second-best position player in the draft — behind LSU‘s Dylan Crews, who was reassigned to minor league camp yesterday — Langford was passed up by the Detroit Tigers as the expected third overall pick.
That made things easy for the Rangers. All Texas had to do was take the most pro-ready bat in the draft pool and let him do his thing. Langford set the home run record at Florida in 2022 (Jac Caglianone broke it a year later), and he
For the record, those in Gainesville were shocked when the Tigers passed him up. It’s hard to say he’s played with a chip on his shoulder since, but he’s been on an absolute tear since joining the pro ranks.
Langford started off, as most draftees do, in the complex league. At 21 years old, he was expected to be one of the most polished hitters in a league filled with teenage prospects, so a move to High-A Hickory came after just three games, skipping the Low-A level entirely.
Twenty-four games with the Crawdads is the most Langford spent at any level. He slashed .333/.453/.644 over 106 plate appearances with a 17.0% strikeout and walk rate — those are elite numbers, for anyone who isn’t a baseball nerd.
Twelve games with Double-A Frisco produced even better results, so Langford ended the season on a five-game stint in Triple-A. An 18-game spring training audition appeared somewhat of a formality before Bochy officially announced Langford’s impending call-up.
Langford is on the fast track to MLB stardom, and he has a real chance to go down as one of the greatest Gators in the pros. Those are lofty expectations to set for someone who just turned 22 years old, but Langford hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down since he converted from being a catcher in 2022.
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Taking a brief look at Oklahoma baseball as they get set to start their season on Friday afternoon against Oregon.
As the calendar switched to 2024, the clock ticks faster and faster on the remaining winter and spring sports to wrap up their final days in the Big 12. The baseball program is the last Oklahoma team to start its final campaign in the conference. That changes Friday as the Sooners travel to Arlington, Texas, for three days to kick off their season in the Shriners Children’s College Showdown.
More: How to watch Oklahoma Baseball in the Shriner’s Children’s College Showdown.
Globe Life Field is home to the defending World Series champion, Texas Rangers, and the Sooners themselves will be trying to focus on getting back to the College World Series.
An offseason rebuild focused on pitching. The return of some crucial players from last year’s NCAA Tournament team sets the stage for what Oklahoma will look like in 2024.
Pitching was far and away the biggest weakness in 2023, so it only made sense that head coach Skip Johnson, one of the nation’s best pitching coaches in his own right, attempted to plug the gaping holes in his rotation and bullpen.
The Sooners hit the transfer portal and brought in newcomers Braden Davis (Sam Houston State), Brendan Girton (Texas Tech), Kyson Witherspoon (Northwest Florida State College), and freshman Jacob Gholston to add some talent and power to the staff.
Witherspoon also has a twin named Malachi who could see action during the season, likely during the midweek affairs. The lone returning weekend rotation guy is James Hitt, who’ll probably be in that role this year.
Austin Henry, a transfer from Wichita State, has an abundance of talent and is also someone who may come along as the season goes on. Carter Campbell and Carson Atwood, alongside Jett Lodes, are the immediate names that stand out as trusted arms from the bullpen. That won’t be enough for an entire season, so developing the rest of the bullpen is among the early season priorities.
Simply put, the pitching is the number one thing to watch, especially early on.
On the other hand, Oklahoma should be a versatile offense equipped with power and speed. Center fielder John Spikerman, right field Bryce Madron, third baseman/first baseman Anthony Mackenzie, second baseman Jackson Nicklaus, catcher Easton Carmichael, and outfielder Kendall Pettis return to give Oklahoma an experienced nucleus. Replacing Dakota Harris, drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals, will be no easy task, but that job will fall on the shoulders of Jaxon Willits, son of OU associate head coach Reggie Willits.
Willits was rated as the No. 2 prospect in Oklahoma before he committed to the Sooners.
One of the significant additions from the transfer portal to Oklahoma’s lineup is that of the 6-foot-4 Carter Frederick, a transfer from Snead State College. He hit .463 with 14 home runs in 53 games last season.
Oklahoma’s season will come down to how their revamped pitching performs. Offensively, the Sooners are well-rounded with power, speed, situational hitting. They have a nice blend of veteran leadership who has been to the NCAA Tournament and even a few on the team that made it to the championship series in 2022.
Can Oklahoma find its way and somehow push Texas, TCU, and Texas Tech for a final Big 12 title? OU was picked to finish tied for sixth in the Big 12 Baseball Preseason Poll.
It all starts in Arlington on Friday afternoon against the Oregon Ducks. The Sooners hope their season ends in Omaha, Nebraska.
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KG will next need a jersey retirement ceremony and a statue in Minnesota.
Welcome to Layup Lines, For the Win’s basketball newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Have feedback for the Layup Lines Crew? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey. Now, here’s Bryan Kalbrosky.
Simply put, the two individuals do not see eye-to-eye or get along. Despite playing for the team for more than a decade, Garnett has called Taylor a “snake” who does not know “[expletive] about basketball” and that only represents a fraction of what he has said about the businessman.
Taylor is on the way out, though, and a new ownership group will gain control. Now that Marc Lore and former MLB star Alex Rodriguez are about to take over, Garnett could eventually take a role with the team. Here is more from Brian Windhorst (via ESPN):
“Garnett’s guidance is brought up often by [Karl-Anthony] Towns. And with the Wolves on the verge of finally being sold by longtime owner Glen Taylor to Marc Lore and partners including Alex Rodriguez, that influence might be drawing closer.
Assuming the transaction is finalized, there is a chance Garnett will take a role with the organization, sources told ESPN. He has been in a bitter dispute with Taylor and distant from the franchise in recent years.”
His role is unclear but in May 2021, Pioneer Press journalist Charley Walters reported that Garnett would likely be “heavily involved” in the Timberwolves basketball department once Rodriguez and Lore eventually took control.
The following year, Walters (the same reporter) added that Rodriguez and Lore also wanted Garnett to join their ownership group with a significant investment. The expectation was that an overdue Garnett statue and jersey retirement would follow.
While these are just rumors for now and may not happen, as a sports fan, it is also very cool that Rodriguez may bridge the gap between Garnett and his longtime franchise.
In so many ways, the two former players mirrored each other during their professional careers. Both were very hyped prospects and top picks in their respective drafts then had similar longevities and long-term success playing their sports, reaching their highest moments at similar points in their careers.
Garnett played in the NBA between 1995 and 2016 while Rodriguez played in the MLB between 1994 and 2016. KG was a 15-time All-Star and won his only championship in 2008. A-Rod was a 14-time All-Star who won his only championship in 2009.
Although it was the only time he received the honor, Garnett was the NBA’s MVP in 2004. Rodriguez won the award in the American League for the first time in 2003 (then won it again in 2005 and 2007).
These are also two of the greatest players of their eras who lived up to their lofty hype. Garnett and Rodriguez never got to win a championship for the teams that drafted them, though. A-Rod has said that in retrospect, he feels that he may have left the Mariners “too early” (via Seattle Times):
“I always think about that – boy, if I stayed one more year, with Ichiro, maybe we could take on Goliath and actually get over the top,” he said. “But that never came.”
Even though leaving the team was the right call for him, if he comes back to the franchise, perhaps his presence can help keep the talented roster together moving forward.
Nowadays, the Timberwolves have two former No. 1 overall picks that they drafted on their roster: Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns. The team is enjoying tremendous success as the top seed in the Western Conference.
When projecting the long-term future based on payroll, for financial reasons after also owing a massive salary to Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner Rudy Gobert, it will be a challenge to keep this core group together.
But for the fans who are watching this team in Minnesota, it would likely be incomparable to see the continuity of the homegrown talent win for the team that drafted them. Anything that Rodriguez and KG can do to convince them to stay would go a long way.
Especially as they are playing elite basketball, meanwhile, there is no better time than the present for KG to have a role with Minnesota. The idea of a statue and a jersey retirement ceremony should follow shortly after that, too.
The Most Singularly Strange NBA Moment
Bally Sports San Antonio
The Spurs mascot dressed up as Batman and chased a loose bat around the court during the Timberwolves game.
If that doesn’t make sense, I get it. Cory Woodroof has you covered:
“In one of the most singularly strange moments in the 2023-24 NBA season, a bat got loose in the San Antonio Spurs’ Frost Bank Center and got promptly chased by the Spurs mascot wearing a Batman costume and holding a giant net.
Don’t worry; the world around you is not glitching to reveal The Matrix. This is a thing that actually happened in San Antonio on Saturday night, and it’s apparently not the first time?”
The team is now increasing the volume of their celebrations with a new role: Trophy Transport Coordinator. The right applicant will have “a background in logistics, transportation or a related field” and will “ensure [the] Championship Trophy is delivered on time and safely returned to its home at Globe Life Field.”
If you’re going to be extra about something, this is the way to do it.
A month ago, the Texas Rangers won their first World Series in franchise history.
Now, the team is looking to hire a Trophy Transport Coordinator.
Duties include: "Ensuring Championship Trophy is delivered on time and safely returned to its home at Globe Life Field." pic.twitter.com/ztZm3J5nsp
The Astros took the AL West division title, but the Rangers got the last laugh.
The Texas Rangers ended one of the longest championship droughts in the history of professional sports, capturing the World Series in five games over the Arizona Diamondbacks and winning the first title in the franchise’s 62-year history.
Despite not winning the AL West Division — that honor went to the rival Houston Astros — Texas went on an incredible run as a wild card squad, going 11-0 on the road in the postseason.
That run included knocking off the Astros in a seven-game ALCS, and at the Rangers’ championship parade, World Series MVP Corey Seager fired a shot across the bow at the Astros, and Alex Bregman specifically.
“I’ve just got one thing to say: Everybody was wondering what would happen if the Rangers didn’t win the World Series,” Seager said. “I guess we’ll never know.”
It’s a clear reference to comments made by Bregman in the clubhouse after the Astros clinched the AL West title via tiebreaker after both squads finished 90-72 in the regular season.
One fascinating tweet summed up the Rangers’ road dominance en route to their World Series win.
It really feels like the Texas Rangers were meant to be World Series champions.
They made their road to the 2023 World Series look so easy even though we know by now that winning in the playoffs is no simple task! Going into the 2023 season, the Rangers had the longest preseason odds to win the World Series in the last 20 years. The Rangers’ infamous 102-loss season isn’t that far back in the rearview mirror either, making their current run to capture baseball’s biggest trophy that much more special.
One of the most fascinating facts about this Rangers team is their resilience on the road in hostile away environments. By the end of the playoffs, the Rangers went 11-0 on the road, winning in tough environments in Baltimore and Houston along the way.
And yet, as one Twitter user discovered, the Rangers’ playoff opponents literally spelled out why they won the World Series when all was said and done.
R – Rays O – Orioles A – Astros D – Diamondbacks
ROAD Warriors
— John Moore (The Recliner Nerd) (@reclinernerd) November 2, 2023
Whoa! It’s an incredible coincidence as it is to have bested the Rays, Orioles, Astros, and Diamondbacks in that order, but to have it spell out ROAD after the team went 11-0 in away games is … truly magical. Some things really are just meant to be.
Former Florida right-hander Dane Dunning finished on top of the baseball mountain this year, winning a World Series with the Texas Rangers.
Texas Rangers fans across the country are celebrating following the team’s World Series run, and there’s reason for Gator Nation to join the party.
Former Florida right-hander Dane Dunning pitched in three of the five World Series games for Texas, helping secure the Commissioner’s Trophy. Dunning didn’t win it all at UF, but he was a member of the 2016 team that finished 52-16 and was eliminated in the College World Series.
As a junior, Dunning appeared in 33 games for Florida, mostly as a reliever. He finished his Florida career with 174 strikeouts, a 3.26 ERA and a .222 batting average against over 163 innings.
The Gators won it all the next year without Dunning, but it’s hard to turn down first-round money from the pros. The Washington Nationals selected Dunning with the 29th overall pick in the 2016 draft and traded him in 2017 for Adam Eaton.
He spent most of 2017 in High-A, starting 22 games for the Winston-Salem Dash. He returned to the Dash for just four starts in 2018 before being called up to Double-A Birmingham, where he finished the season. Dunning missed all of 2019 and half of 2020 after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
The Rangers acquired him in 2021 and now his name is etched in the history books as a World Series champion.
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Corey Seager helped lead the Texas Rangers to the franchise’s first World Series with a decisive 5-0 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The former 2016 Rookie of the Year earned the title of World Series MVP with six runs batted in and three home runs over the course of the five game series.
It’s the second World Series MVP crown for the high-level shortstop, previously winning the honor with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020. Seager played with Los Angeles for the first six seasons of his career before signing a massive 10-year, $325 million contract with the Rangers in 2022.
A lot of people had questions as to why the Dodgers would let such a talented, young player walk, but not many would think to ask that question at the postgame press conference at the conclusion of the World Series.
Well, one reporter did, and it was extremely awkward.
Good morning, Winners! Welcome back to the Morning Win.
Yesterday there were six teams in the history of Major League Baseball never to win a World Series. Today, there are only five. The Texas Rangers are now forever immortalized in the history of baseball after winning the franchise’s first-ever championship.
If you’d told anyone before the season that the Rangers would be the only team left standing at the end, the only folks who would’ve believed were probably Rangers fans. But can you blame the rest of us? It was just two seasons ago that this team lost 102 games. The franchise hadn’t been to the playoffs since 2016.
Absolutely none of that matters today. The Rangers are World Series champions.
The moment the Rangers won it all was so satisfying. The team and it’s fans have waited 52 years for this. All 52 of them built up to this final moment and you could just feel the impact of Josh Sborz’s final pitch into Jonah Heim’s glove. What an electric moment.
Last, but not least, Rangers fans will sleep well knowing that nobody can flex on them anymore. Texas is no longer in Major League Baseball’s basement. It spent the money. It did the impossible. It won the World Series.
That, more than anything, has to feel great. Congrats, Rangers fans. Your squad earned this one.
How cold is too cold in the NFL? Let’s find out
Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
NFL players playing in negative temperatures has always baffled me. Like, how are they doing this? Why is this possible?
“But just how cold does it have to be to send veterans who’ve spent their whole lives between the hashmarks in November and December — and, with any luck, January — scrambling to their lockers for extra gear? What does that wind chill have to hit before they go full Michael Irvin?
Different players react to the cold in different ways. Fortunately, I got the chance to conduct an informal survey when For The Win was making the rounds at Radio Row in the run-up to Super Bowl 57. Over the course of several interviews with NFL veterans past and present, I was able to separate “cold” from “Vaseline cold.” Sort of.
So how cold does it need to be for stars to start bundling up? Well, sometimes the limit does not exist.”
He’s got insights from players ranging from legends like Brian Dawkins and Tedy Bruschi to current greats like Stefon Diggs and DK Metcalf. The answers vary, but my takeaway is the same every time.
So, look. Most of you know I’m a Washington Wizards fan. That’s an unfortunate disposition that I’ve brought upon myself. I’m not asking for pity. I just want you to know that, when I do finally completely lose my mind, it’ll be because of this team.
I know the Wizards are going to stink this year. The team traded Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis so it could start over anew. It was a needed reset.
