SURPRISE, Ariz. – Every day seems to bring another jaw-dropping moment from the Rangers’ Wyatt Langford, but even by that standard, this seemed a little amazing.
The grand slam he hit in Thursday night’s exhibition against Cincinnati: First one of his life.
He’d never hit one at Florida or at Trenton (Fla.) High School. Not even in Little League.
“Yeah, I know,” he said with a smile. “So, this was really cool.”
But it’s spring training, so does it even count?
“Oh, definitely,” Langford said. “It absolutely counts. My dad [Michael] got me the ball.”
Langford did not homer on Saturday, but smoked a first-inning double and later poked a single up the middle for his 15th RBI of the spring. He leads the major leagues. He also leads the majors in OPS at 1.248.
So, hey, Chris Young, about that roster decision: How’s that coming?
“He’s had a great camp, put himself in a great position,” Young said. “We’re going to continue to evaluate, see what our team needs are as we get into the first couple of series of the season and see how the position player portion of the roster shapes up. But Wyatt has done everything he possibly can. He’s lived up to the expectations he created last season. It’s been so much fun watching him.”
Young said if the Rangers do keep Langford he will not be limited to DH duties. He said “unequivocally” he will play some outfield. In all likelihood, that means he’d split time between DH and left, allowing for the other outfielders to both rotate through DH and occasional days off. Young said the Rangers are not concerned that Langford would have any trouble with adjusting to some time at DH. How much remains up in the air.
“I think he can hit,” Young said. “He’ll be able to handle it.”
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