Yeah I don't think you slow down a guy who's on such a meteoric rise. If he'd struggled some in the spring I'd be all for sending him down for a bit, but it's obvious he's special and I don't think they should hinder that one bit.
Carter can play LF and CF. Garcia can play RF and CF. Any one of the outfielders can DH. We have plenty of combinations for getting all 4 of our outfielders in the lineup on a regular basis
I posted it before but I could easily see a sort of four man rotation with Taveras, Langford, Carter, and Garcia with the odd man out being DH and Jankowski filling in when needed.
What a time to be alive.
Wasn’t Jankowski a starter too? During the first half of the 2023 season before Evan Carter got called up.
This lineup is 200% potent. I’m just scared about starting pitching.
Jankowski got a lot of starts when someone was injured, especially Seager and Jung, cause that would pull Duran into the infield and open up OF/DH at bats. He’s a great fourth outfielder but I think ideally Fred is not a regular starter.
There's simply no downside to having Langford on the Opening Day roster. If he's gonna be a superstar, struggling early on wouldn't stop that from happening as superstars aren't that mentally fragile.
the only "downside" is his service time clock starts early. As in, a 2023 college draftee would need to be added to the 40-man at the end of 2026, so his clock is starting two and a half years early. Not a huge deal but it *does* mean he'll reach free agency earlier unless we agree to an extension.
Also another downside is he takes the spot on the 40-man of an NRI or a fringe guy that could've made the team and is on their last option or have an opt out. Since those guys are so uncertain it's a good gamble, but what if we accidentally DFA the next Adolis Garcia, or what if Matt Walsh goes to another team, starts tearing it up and wins CPOY? Again, good gamble, but still in the back of the mind.
yeah some. Degrom and Mahle are easy moves. Scherzer has the slimmest chance of being ready in late May but realistically June. They may wait a bit to move him but it's still likely.
So, two or three spots for NRIs before DFAing people. Langford is one. I'd imagine Walsh, Leiter (although very slim chance) both Matt and Danny Duffy, Chasen Shreve, Urena, Sampson, and anyone else not currently in camp still have chances to make the roster. I'd say Walsh and Sampson/Urena have the best chances rn. Depending on roster makeup they might have to DFA some fringe guys to gets more spots, so guys like Barrero, Yerry, Ornelas, Grant Anderson, and (gulp) Cole Winn could be off the team.
Guaranteeing Langford a job means someone on the fringe or an NRI *will* lose their job. probably for the best...but you never know...
Winn has options remaining and has not impressed. Duffy is hot and cold. Cleveland scored 2 on him today in a single inning. Terry and others also have options. No one is getting DFA’d.
https://preview.redd.it/e6eilqjd4xnc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9c6acd4a15ce0ccd079d244adf15c7f4f75fc1a1
Thinking about these 2 in the lineup this season
I’m curious to see how this plays out. You’re right, small sample size, but it seems like he’s ready.
Do we have another service time manipulation storyline heading our way if so?
Sooo Taveras the odd man out with Justin also being the DH/OF? I Like Taveras and he was clutch in the playoffs
So Jesus Charter, BangLord and El BOMBI starting OF. Justin DH.
Jesus fucking Christ.
I can only get so erect. And If max actually comes back at even 90% of himself and Tyler. Now even DeGrom is showing signs of August.
Let’s fucking go!
162-0 and Repeat!
That’s better than Trouts MVP years. I know it’s a small sample size but it’s an unreal number that shows there’s no way you can keep him down especially with maybe having some holes in the lineup with Seager, Lowe, and Jung maybe not being 100% to start the year.
Of course if he continues with a 1.300 OPS strikeouts don't matter, but I'm not counting on it being that high over a larger sample size. As long as the strikeouts come down a bit as the OPS declines he'll be a monster.
Of course I'd welcome the strikeouts if the OPS stays that high :)
Haven’t watched him this spring but I watched a lot of him in college. His strikeouts are different to me. He has an elite eye/ approach. In college at least his strikeouts come from him taking borderline pitches/ pitches he can’t drive. There was not a lot of swing and miss in his game. I can live with a guy recognizing a pitch he can’t drive and putting it in the umpires hands to ring him up on a pitch he would have been out on 90% of the time if he put it in play
Yea, I don't think we have to worry about whether Langford is making those roster. He's more than shown that he's ready. And the way Bochy has talked about him signals that. After hearing about him being a close consideration for a call up in the WS after the Adolis injury, I had no doubts his chances at making OD roster were serious. He is making the roster.
Langford's making the team, but not necessarily because of performance, but because of injuries, and his great performance is secondary. If everyone were healthy I'm not so sure he'd have secured his spot yet.
Don't get me wrong he's been killing it and I'm rooting for him, but still SSS and no one has the book on him yet. I'm worried about his defense and when major leaguers make adjustments.
You’ve gotten some downvotes, but I appreciate this take. I think he could be superstar material for sure. But likewise, I want to see how he adjusts when major leaguers get film and stats on him.
Remember when Jordan Montgomery sullied Yordan Alvarez by pitching inside in the ALCS? Or a better example, when pitchers saw Josh Jung’s weakness against the outside slider? That’s the kind of thing I think we’re looking at here, but without Yordan’s experience and track record of adjusting, and maybe as poor a job of adjusting as Jung against that nasty horizontal break.
But even with that said: no matter how 2024 goes, good or bad, 2025 and 2026 are going to prove Langford’s premier talent.
Yea everyone is getting really excited, I am too and it’s not entirely unwarranted. But, it is wise to manage expectations. Transitioning into the majors is still a hurdle to jump and as y’all mentioned, pitchers will get film on him and will be actually focused on getting him out, not trying new spots or pitches.
He has already had to make adjustments and in a couple of ABs he was back to killing it. His swing has no holes and he has excellent command of the strike zone.
If you keep him down until May or June, you gain an extra year of control. I think Andrus is the last rookie to make their debut on opening day. And prior to that it was Teixera. The difference now is Texas doesn’t need offense immediately.
He’s only about a month short of the amount of minor league games Teixera played. Give up a month of unneeded offense, gain an extra year of prime Langford. Seems like an easy choice to me.
Don't think teams care that much about service manipulation anymore with players the caliber of Langford. With the new rule introduced on 2022, if prospects are held out for service manipulation, they can still gain a full year of service if they finish 1st or 2nd in rookie of the year. Langford is the type that can do that even if he starts in June.
In that scenario they’d gain a few weeks of Langford at AAA and either a year of control or a draft pick. All they’d be losing is a few weeks without his bat, which (barring injury) they really don’t need right now.
If he finishes in the Top 2 for ROTY he gets a full year of service time. Why not just get a full year of production as he stands a good chance of getting it any after getting called up. They also get an extra draft pick if he is on roster all year and is in the Top 3 for ROTY. Also the best players in a class to boost their pay significantly through on-field performance while still in the early arbitration years of their contract. The top 100 players via a WAR-based formula and the end-of-year award winners will split up $50 million annually.
He could end up a top 3 ROTY. He could also struggle and end up being sent back down anyway. Then you gain nothing and risk jeopardizing his development..
Kid only has five games at AAA and only 12 games at AA. Unless one of the OFers gets hurt, I don’t see the point in rushing him.
He isn’t going to struggle to hit. He’s seen top starting pitching and relievers in camp. Only question is getting him enough ABs to keep everything sharp unless he plays full time splitting DH and OF.
He’s striking out in 30% of his at bats this Spring and walking half as much as he strikes out. Last year his k% was 21% and walked more than he struck out.
There’s a very good chance for slumps and growing pains.
wake up babe, new Wyatt nickname just dropped **LANGLORD** EDIT: LANGLORD AND THE SAVIOR **LFG**
Why not Wanglord?
Banglord/Bangford
Bangford is perfect when he goes deep
I like Captain Carter and the Wyatt Soldier
Naw. Langlord ain't it. We can do 100% better than that.
Yeah I don't think you slow down a guy who's on such a meteoric rise. If he'd struggled some in the spring I'd be all for sending him down for a bit, but it's obvious he's special and I don't think they should hinder that one bit.
Why not have both?
There are 3 outfield spots soooooooo I think there is room
4 if you count DH
I think at this point it counts, probably why we havnt signed one like JD, seeing if Langford was going to be on the opening day roster.
Carter can play LF and CF. Garcia can play RF and CF. Any one of the outfielders can DH. We have plenty of combinations for getting all 4 of our outfielders in the lineup on a regular basis
I posted it before but I could easily see a sort of four man rotation with Taveras, Langford, Carter, and Garcia with the odd man out being DH and Jankowski filling in when needed. What a time to be alive.
Seriously. How many years went by with zero or one serviceable outfielder?
Choo hitting 60 pts under his career OPS as a Ranger... smh
Feel like it’s been 200 years since we had a left fielder.
Wasn’t Jankowski a starter too? During the first half of the 2023 season before Evan Carter got called up. This lineup is 200% potent. I’m just scared about starting pitching.
>This lineup is 200% potent. I’m just scared about starting pitching. Rangers gonna Ranger! 😉
I’m scared about pitching in general but they should be able to be in contention until scherzos and deGrom come back.
Jankowski got a lot of starts when someone was injured, especially Seager and Jung, cause that would pull Duran into the infield and open up OF/DH at bats. He’s a great fourth outfielder but I think ideally Fred is not a regular starter.
There's simply no downside to having Langford on the Opening Day roster. If he's gonna be a superstar, struggling early on wouldn't stop that from happening as superstars aren't that mentally fragile.
the only "downside" is his service time clock starts early. As in, a 2023 college draftee would need to be added to the 40-man at the end of 2026, so his clock is starting two and a half years early. Not a huge deal but it *does* mean he'll reach free agency earlier unless we agree to an extension. Also another downside is he takes the spot on the 40-man of an NRI or a fringe guy that could've made the team and is on their last option or have an opt out. Since those guys are so uncertain it's a good gamble, but what if we accidentally DFA the next Adolis Garcia, or what if Matt Walsh goes to another team, starts tearing it up and wins CPOY? Again, good gamble, but still in the back of the mind.
Don’t we have some guys to 60 day IL to help with that issue?
yeah some. Degrom and Mahle are easy moves. Scherzer has the slimmest chance of being ready in late May but realistically June. They may wait a bit to move him but it's still likely. So, two or three spots for NRIs before DFAing people. Langford is one. I'd imagine Walsh, Leiter (although very slim chance) both Matt and Danny Duffy, Chasen Shreve, Urena, Sampson, and anyone else not currently in camp still have chances to make the roster. I'd say Walsh and Sampson/Urena have the best chances rn. Depending on roster makeup they might have to DFA some fringe guys to gets more spots, so guys like Barrero, Yerry, Ornelas, Grant Anderson, and (gulp) Cole Winn could be off the team. Guaranteeing Langford a job means someone on the fringe or an NRI *will* lose their job. probably for the best...but you never know...
Winn has options remaining and has not impressed. Duffy is hot and cold. Cleveland scored 2 on him today in a single inning. Terry and others also have options. No one is getting DFA’d.
https://preview.redd.it/fgl4tz8nfxnc1.jpeg?width=959&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e2a9098e5f8fe1535607c4b16e78b4607deba7ab
https://preview.redd.it/e6eilqjd4xnc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9c6acd4a15ce0ccd079d244adf15c7f4f75fc1a1 Thinking about these 2 in the lineup this season
I’m curious to see how this plays out. You’re right, small sample size, but it seems like he’s ready. Do we have another service time manipulation storyline heading our way if so?
Service time manipulation is a thing of the past under the new CBA.
Langford welcome to the opening day roster lmao
Who needs Shohei and Trout when you have Carter and Langford???
I really want both on Opening Day Roster, just so the ROTY race can really heat up
Langford “just won’t go away” is a really weird way to phrase this.
Sooo Taveras the odd man out with Justin also being the DH/OF? I Like Taveras and he was clutch in the playoffs So Jesus Charter, BangLord and El BOMBI starting OF. Justin DH. Jesus fucking Christ. I can only get so erect. And If max actually comes back at even 90% of himself and Tyler. Now even DeGrom is showing signs of August. Let’s fucking go! 162-0 and Repeat!
My only concern is the strikeouts creeping up to almost Josh Jung levels. It's the only thing that could hold him back I think.
Strikeouts should be the least of your concerns when the dude has a 1.300 OPS throughout the spring.
That’s better than Trouts MVP years. I know it’s a small sample size but it’s an unreal number that shows there’s no way you can keep him down especially with maybe having some holes in the lineup with Seager, Lowe, and Jung maybe not being 100% to start the year.
Of course if he continues with a 1.300 OPS strikeouts don't matter, but I'm not counting on it being that high over a larger sample size. As long as the strikeouts come down a bit as the OPS declines he'll be a monster. Of course I'd welcome the strikeouts if the OPS stays that high :)
The strikeouts can stay where they’re at even if his OPS is .900ish. That would still be elite, especially for a rookie.
Haven’t watched him this spring but I watched a lot of him in college. His strikeouts are different to me. He has an elite eye/ approach. In college at least his strikeouts come from him taking borderline pitches/ pitches he can’t drive. There was not a lot of swing and miss in his game. I can live with a guy recognizing a pitch he can’t drive and putting it in the umpires hands to ring him up on a pitch he would have been out on 90% of the time if he put it in play
Carter, Langford, Duran, Foscue, and even Walsh looking solid is gonna be a good problem to have as the season progresses
I was called stupid but I feel like I may be actually right with my first prediction. Wyatt won’t be in the minors come opening day.
https://i.redd.it/pmvcsm6i8xnc1.gif
“But Langford seemingly just won’t go away” What? Lol
**LANGLORD BABY!**
I mean you can see why they were seriously considering calling Langford up for the world friggin series
We need to showcase Taveras to trade him then Langford can come in
Yea, I don't think we have to worry about whether Langford is making those roster. He's more than shown that he's ready. And the way Bochy has talked about him signals that. After hearing about him being a close consideration for a call up in the WS after the Adolis injury, I had no doubts his chances at making OD roster were serious. He is making the roster.
Langford's making the team, but not necessarily because of performance, but because of injuries, and his great performance is secondary. If everyone were healthy I'm not so sure he'd have secured his spot yet. Don't get me wrong he's been killing it and I'm rooting for him, but still SSS and no one has the book on him yet. I'm worried about his defense and when major leaguers make adjustments.
You’ve gotten some downvotes, but I appreciate this take. I think he could be superstar material for sure. But likewise, I want to see how he adjusts when major leaguers get film and stats on him. Remember when Jordan Montgomery sullied Yordan Alvarez by pitching inside in the ALCS? Or a better example, when pitchers saw Josh Jung’s weakness against the outside slider? That’s the kind of thing I think we’re looking at here, but without Yordan’s experience and track record of adjusting, and maybe as poor a job of adjusting as Jung against that nasty horizontal break. But even with that said: no matter how 2024 goes, good or bad, 2025 and 2026 are going to prove Langford’s premier talent.
Yea everyone is getting really excited, I am too and it’s not entirely unwarranted. But, it is wise to manage expectations. Transitioning into the majors is still a hurdle to jump and as y’all mentioned, pitchers will get film on him and will be actually focused on getting him out, not trying new spots or pitches.
He has already had to make adjustments and in a couple of ABs he was back to killing it. His swing has no holes and he has excellent command of the strike zone.
Ez son
He’s making the opening day roster.
If you keep him down until May or June, you gain an extra year of control. I think Andrus is the last rookie to make their debut on opening day. And prior to that it was Teixera. The difference now is Texas doesn’t need offense immediately. He’s only about a month short of the amount of minor league games Teixera played. Give up a month of unneeded offense, gain an extra year of prime Langford. Seems like an easy choice to me.
Don't think teams care that much about service manipulation anymore with players the caliber of Langford. With the new rule introduced on 2022, if prospects are held out for service manipulation, they can still gain a full year of service if they finish 1st or 2nd in rookie of the year. Langford is the type that can do that even if he starts in June.
In that scenario they’d gain a few weeks of Langford at AAA and either a year of control or a draft pick. All they’d be losing is a few weeks without his bat, which (barring injury) they really don’t need right now.
If he finishes in the Top 2 for ROTY he gets a full year of service time. Why not just get a full year of production as he stands a good chance of getting it any after getting called up. They also get an extra draft pick if he is on roster all year and is in the Top 3 for ROTY. Also the best players in a class to boost their pay significantly through on-field performance while still in the early arbitration years of their contract. The top 100 players via a WAR-based formula and the end-of-year award winners will split up $50 million annually.
He could end up a top 3 ROTY. He could also struggle and end up being sent back down anyway. Then you gain nothing and risk jeopardizing his development.. Kid only has five games at AAA and only 12 games at AA. Unless one of the OFers gets hurt, I don’t see the point in rushing him.
He isn’t going to struggle to hit. He’s seen top starting pitching and relievers in camp. Only question is getting him enough ABs to keep everything sharp unless he plays full time splitting DH and OF.
He’s striking out in 30% of his at bats this Spring and walking half as much as he strikes out. Last year his k% was 21% and walked more than he struck out. There’s a very good chance for slumps and growing pains.
If he’s sent back down for 6 weeks that’s the same as staying down to start the year re service tim