Former Florida Gators Stars Share Heartwarming Moment as Members of Royals, Rangers

Wyatt Langford and Jac Caglianone, who played together at Florida, played against each other for the first time as major leaguers on Thursday.
Texas Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford (36) is greeted in the dugout after scoring during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Globe Life Field on June 18.
Texas Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford (36) is greeted in the dugout after scoring during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Globe Life Field on June 18. | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

A heartwarming moment unfolded on Thursday as former University of Florida standouts Jac Caglianone and Wyatt Langford wrapped up their first series against each other as major leaguers.

After the game, which the Royals won 4-1, the duo exchanged jerseys. Caglianone hit his first two major league homers in the win, making some team history. The moment was captured the @GatorsNetwork,

Langford, 23, was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 draft out of Florida, taken behind Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews, who went 1-2. Langford was a key member of the Gators group that lost to that duo in the 2023 College World Series finals.

He's hitting .240 this season with 13 homers and 31 RBIs, while also stealing 11 bases. He's carrying a .317 on-base percentage and a 118 OPS+ as well.

As for Caglianone, he helped the Gators get to the College World Series again in 2024, becoming one of the most prolific power hitters in the country along the way. He was selected No. 6 overall by the Royals.

Recently promoted, he's hitting .218 through 55 at-bats. He has an on-base percentage of .232 thus far. The Royals are counting on his production to help them get to the playoffs for the second consecutive season.

Langford and the Rangers will be back in action on Friday night when they visit the Pittsburgh Pirates at 6:40 p.m. ET. The Rangers are 36-39.

The Royals will visit the San Diego Padres with first pitch at 9:40 p.m. ET. Kansas City is 37-38.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.