How a 24-Year-Old Rangers Outfielder Could Bust the 2026 MVP Odds Scene
Wyatt Langford is one of baseball’s most prominent outfielders and has some of the most upside potential the league has seen in quite some time. Langford played college ball at the University of Florida and was drafted fourth overall in the 2023 MLB Draft by the Texas Rangers. After he was drafted, he was rushed through the Minor Leagues, not because of the need for another outfielder, but because of his talent. His 2025 season with the Rangers was a thing of beauty, when he became the youngest player in Rangers’ history to record a 20-20 season, which is hitting 20 home runs and stealing 20 bases.
Furthermore, the 24-year-old finished the season as a finalist for a Gold Glove Award, cementing himself as a premier defender in left field. He finished last season with an average of .241, with 22 home runs, 62 runs batted in, and 22 stolen bases. So far this spring, Langford is a lock to start for the Rangers on Opening Day. The former first-round pick is putting up video-game numbers, hitting an amazing .483 average, four home runs with 12 runs batted in, an on-base percentage of .571, and an OPS of 1.571 in only 29 at-bats. He’s scorching hot right now, and he’s got every reason to be putting the league on notice before his third season.
As of March 4th, Langford is sitting 18th in the AL MVP odds, according to Yahoo Sports, at +4000. Fellow competitors in the same range include Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins and Zach Neto of the Los Angeles Angels. While the AL MVP race is going to be tough with names like Aaron Judge, Vladimir Guerrero Jr, Bobby Witt Jr, and Cal Raleigh sitting in the top four of the odds, Langford has what it takes to climb the odds. The 24-year-old outfielder is a legit five-tool player, and his only real flaw was his somewhat high strikeout rate last season at 26.4 percent. However, I expect that with Skip Schumaker, Brandon Nimmo, and Andrew McCutchen in his dugout, Langford can clean that up and be more successful at getting the ball in the field of play. He’s known for his speed and especially how hard he hits the ball. Langford was ranked in the 87th percentile in barrel rate and 82nd percentile in average exit velocity at 91.4 miles per hour. He is also in the 90th percentile in terms of walk rate. The great thing about him is the patience he has in the batter’s box and the consistency at the plate of hitting the laces off of baseballs. When it comes to his defense, he’s got a great sense of the outfield, ranking in the 88th percentile in sprint speed, sitting at a whopping 28.9 feet per second. At this rate, a legendary 40-40 season isn’t too terrible to bring into Langford’s season conversation.
