Former Florida baseball star [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag] has put together a solid rookie campaign so far after being selected fourth overall in the 2023 MLB draft by the Texas Rangers.
The 22-year-old outfielder added another highlight to his reel of accomplishments on Thursday by robbing a home run from San Diego Padres shortstop Ha-Seong Kim in the second inning with a runner aboard. Kim hit a fly ball off a 92.5 mph Max Scherzer four-seam fastball 370 feet with an exit velocity of 95.3 mph down the left field line but Langford was there to make the leaping catch.
WYATT LANGFORD BRINGS THIS ONE BACK! 😱 pic.twitter.com/XGO9J3LT3z
— MLB (@MLB) July 4, 2024
The Rangers ultimately fell to the Padres, 3-1, but not because of the former Gator’s performance. Langford went 1-for-3 with a walk and drove in his team’s lone run, along with two strikeouts on the day. For the season he is batting .263 with a .331 on-base percentage and a .392 slugging percentage — good for a .723 OPS over 63 games played.
Last weekend, the UF alumnus hit for the cycle, starting with a triple in the fourth inning, followed by a double in the fifth, a legged-out infield single in the sixth and a three-run shot down the left-field line in the eighth for the 345th cycle in MLB history.
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