Caleb Thomas

College Baseball: Wyatt Langford could be a top MLB talent

Although it’s still a while before college baseball starts, it’s worth taking a look at the top players going into next season. Wyatt Langford is going to be the first player spotlight for this series– he could very well be the top draft pick in next year’s MLB Draft.

Overview

Wyatt Langford is a 6’1”, 215 pound outfielder for the University of Florida. After an impressive three-sport career at Trenton High School, the 144th overall prospect signed with the Gators. Langford spent a year without seeing too much playing time, but he had a breakout Sophomore season this Spring.

2022

Last season, Langford absolutely terrorized opposing pitchers with a .356/.447/.719 slash line. Along with that, he hit 26 home runs to top the SEC and tie Florida’s all-time single season record. With a program that’s developed the likes of Pete Alonso, Jonathan India, and Harrison Bader, it’s no small feat. 

This summer, Langford had a strong showing in the Coastal Plains Summer League. In a smaller sample size of nine games, he posted an elite 1.171 OPS, pretty close to his college number. 

Skillset

Looking at his home run total, it might seem like Langford is a pure power hitter. That’s far from the case, as the 20-year-old has a well refined game. As far as plate approach goes, Langford got on base at an insane clip, as referenced by his .447 on-base percentage. Part of that is due to his patience– the outfielder took 36 walks compared to only 44 strikeouts, good for an 11.8% walk rate. Defensively, Langford has the potential to be a reliable corner outfielder at the next level.

In 2022, Wyatt Langford had a perfect fielding percentage, with not a single error on record. To add to that, he also picked up two outfield assists, and some eye-popping plays in the expansive field:

All in all, Langford is a polished prospect who could be a legit top-5 draft talent in 2023. With his college experience and development, I could see him rapidly ascending the minor league ranks. After all, the SEC is a premier baseball conference, almost akin to affiliated ball at this point. Look for Wyatt Langford to continue raking and join the ranks of Gators in the MLB.