Three years ago, Wyatt Langford entered the major league baseball draft as a high school senior.

No team drafted him.

A native of Trenten, Florida, Langford decided to go college near his home. He chose the University of Florida. His freshman year, 2021, at Florida, he played in four games.

Then, something clicked. And, the next thing you know, Langford became one of college baseball’s most accomplished hitters.

The 6’1″ outfielder hit .356 in 2022, with an elite-level OPS of 1.166. He hit for average and power, with 26 homers and 63 RBIs in 66 games for Florida.

This past season, he ratcheted up his average to .373, with an on-base percentage of .498. Yes, that’s right. He got on base nearly half the time he came to the plate.

This is a kid who makes contact. And a kid with plate discipline. A kid who said he loves baseball so much that, after the disappointment of his freshman year, he worked 24/7 to make himself an elite baseball player.

Yesterday, Wyatt Langford became the kid who was the first-round pick for the Texas Rangers in the 2023 draft.

According to Kennedi Landry of mlb.com, Langford is a “five-tool player who emerged over the past two seasons as perhaps the most well-rounded hitter in college baseball.”

High praise indeed.

Langford recently turned heads in the College World Series, hitting .538 with two home runs and eight RBIs in the three-game Championship Series his Florida team would lose to LSU.

Now, he starts that daunting journey through the Rangers minor league system that has stifled so many first-round draft picks before him.

But, today, he is the Rangers first pick in the draft, fourth overall. Today, Wyatt Langford officially becomes a Rangers prospect, a moniker that has not been kind to far too many kids.

Here’s hoping the best for Wyatt Langford.

Success stories are so much fun. And rare in these parts.

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