Could Texas Rangers Call Up Prospect Wyatt Langford For Postseason?
There's no chance it could happen. A player drafted less than three months ago won't be part of a postseason run.
But wouldn't it be interesting?
The Texas Rangers can't add slugger Wyatt Langford to the playoff roster (if they make it) for October baseball, but his hot bat has caught the eye of those in the building.
Bruce Bochy's main priority is on securing a spot among the top six American League teams and winning a World Series, but even the skipper is aware of Langford's rise to stardom.
“It’s impressive,” Bochy said last week. “You have to be paying attention. He’s the hottest hitter in the world right now.”
Langford, the Rangers first-round selection in July's draft, has torn his way through four stages of the minors to reach Triple-A ball in September. Through two months, the 21-year-old has slashed .360/.480/.677 with 10 home runs and 36 walks against 34 strikeouts.
At this point, Langford barely has time to get to know his teammates, let alone settle in his new environment before being called up again. He played three games in rookie ball before being promoted to High-A Hickory. Twenty-four games and five home runs later, he was off to Double-A Frisco.
And just 12 games later, Langford debuted with Triple-A Round Rock, going 4-for-5 at the plate with a double. In five games, he already notched a .368 batting average to go along with three extra-base hits.
Expectations are high for Langford inside the clubhouse. He's already listed as the team's No. 2 prospect behind fellow outfielder Evan Carter and ranks No. 13 overall, according to MLB Pipeline. According to Baseball America, Langford is the No. 8 prospect in the sport.
Since Langford isn't even on the 40-man roster, thoughts of a playoff call-up are moot. The Rangers did get lucky with Carter, who was called up when Adolis Garcia went on the injured list.
Carter is slashing .318/.426/.705 with four homers and 10 RBI, adding a spark at right time to help the Rangers retake the division lead entering the final week of the regular season.
As for Langford, Bochy and the organization will further evaluate his progress in Spring Training. Dreams of a MLB debut will wait.
But it may not be too long.
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