Wyatt Langford was drafted fourth overall by the Texas Rangers this past July.
BATON ROUGE, La. – University of Florida two-time All-American outfielder Wyatt Langford<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/wyatt-langford/15497> has made the Texas Rangers’ Opening Day MLB roster, as announced by manager Bruce Bochy on Friday.
Come Opening Day on Thursday, March 28, Langford will become the 83rd former Gator to debut in the MLB and the 31st to do so under head coach Kevin O’Sullivan<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/kevin-o-sullivan/1752> – which is tied for tops in the sport. Langford is the first Gator to reach the Majors since Jacob Young did so on Aug. 26, 2023 with the Washington Nationals.
After being drafted fourth overall in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft by Texas, Langford rapidly ascended four levels of Minor League Baseball: Rookie, High-A, Double-A and Triple-A. Collectively, the slugger slashed .360/.480/.677 with 10 homers and more walks (36) than strikeouts (34).
Langford’s MiLB performance earned him an invitation to 2024 MLB Spring Training, where he proceeded to hit .388 with six home runs and 19 RBI in 49 at bats. That was good for a 1.242 OPS and an eventual spot on the Rangers’ Opening Day roster.
Across his three-year Gators career from 2021-23, Langford garnered virtually every honor possible. The Trenton, Fla. native was a Unanimous First Team All-American in 2023, also being named to the College World Series All-Tournament Team, a Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist and First Team All-SEC after hauling in All-American and All-SEC accolades as a sophomore in 2022.
All told, Langford batted .363/.471/.746 across 134 career games. He totaled 47 home runs, 37 doubles, 156 runs, 120 RBI and 16 stolen bases. His .746 career slugging percentage is the highest in UF baseball history. Langford was also reliable in the field, making just one career error in 233 chances for a .996 fielding percentage.
Below is a complete list of Gators to debut in the MLB under O’Sullivan.
MLB Players Under O’Sullivan
Player Drafted (Round) MLB Debut Team
1 Nick Maronde 2011 (3rd) September 2, 2012 Los Angeles Angels
2 Paco Rodriguez 2012 (2nd) September 9, 2012 Los Angeles Dodgers
3 Mike Zunino 2012 (1st – 3rd overall) June 12, 2013 Seattle Mariners
4 Kevin Chapman 2010 (4th) August 9, 2013 Houston Astros
5 Matt den Dekker 2010 (5th) August 29, 2013 New York Mets
6 Anthony DeSclafani 2011 (6th) May 14, 2014 Miami Marlins
7 Cole Figueroa 2008 (6th) May 16, 2014 Tampa Bay Rays
8 Preston Tucker 2012 (7th) May 7, 2015 Houston Astros
9 Brian Johnson 2012 (1st – 31st overall) July 21, 2015 Boston Red Sox
10 Nolan Fontana 2012 (2nd) May 22, 2017 Los Angeles Angels
11 Austin Maddox 2012 (3rd) June 17, 2017 Boston Red Sox
12 Harrison Bader 2015 (3rd) July 25, 2017 St. Louis Cardinals
13 Bobby Poyner 2015 (14th) March 31, 2018 Boston Red Sox
14 Justin Shafer 2014 (8th) August 19, 2018 Toronto Blue Jays
15 Eric Hanhold 2015 (6th) September 4, 2018 New York Mets
16 Richie Martin 2015 (1st – 20th overall) March 28, 2019 Baltimore Orioles
17 Pete Alonso 2016 (2nd) March 28, 2019 New York Mets
18 Shaun Anderson 2016 (3rd) May 15, 2019 San Francisco Giants
19 A.J. Puk 2016 (1st – 6th overall) August 21, 2019 Oakland Athletics
20 Brady Singer 2018 (1st – 18th overall) July 25, 2020 Kansas City Royals
21 Dane Dunning 2016 (1st – 29th overall) August 19, 2020 Chicago White Sox
22 Jonathan India 2018 (1st – 5th overall) Thursday, April 1, 2021 Cincinnati Reds
23 Jackson Kowar 2018 (1st – 33rd overall) Monday, June 7, 2021 Kansas City Royals
24 Taylor Gushue 2014 (4th) Wednesday, June 30, 2021 Chicago Cubs
25 Kirby Snead 2016 (10th) Wednesday, July 28, 2021 Toronto Blue Jays
26 Mark Kolozsvary 2017 (7th) Wednesday, April 20, 2022 Cincinnati Reds
27 Alex Faedo 2017 (1st – 18th overall) Wednesday, May 4, 2022 Detroit Tigers
28 Danny Young 2015 (8th) Monday, May 9, 2022 Seattle Mariners
29 Dalton Guthrie 2017 (6th) Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022 Philadelphia Phillies
30 Jacob Young 2021 (7th) Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023 Washington Nationals
31 Wyatt Langford<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/wyatt-langford/15497> 2023 (1st – 4th overall) ? Texas Rangers
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