'Elite Emotional Maturity' Has Helped Texas Rangers Rookie Handle First Month In the Majors

ARLINGTON — Wyatt Langford is still learning about the Major Leagues and the league is still learning about him.

After a month in the big leagues, the Texas Rangers rookie has shown glimpses of why the organization felt he was ready for the Majors despite only two months in the minors after being drafted with the No. 4 overall pick last July.

He has yet to show the power that he has shown at the University of Florida, in the minors, and even during spring training two months ago. Langford is batting .239 with three doubles, a triple, and an inside-the-park home run in his first 29 games. He has 11 walks and 26 strikeouts entering Thursday's series finale against the Washington Nationals.

The Rangers, however, are far from concerned. Langford's power will come, Rangers general manager Chris Young said.

"The slug is probably the only thing that hasn't quite been there to the level we saw in spring training," Young said. "But we all know it's in there. And we saw when he does slug, what it looks like the other day. So I'm excited for that to come because I really believe it's going to come soon."

Part of Langford's adjustment has been his plate discipline. He led the league in the first month with 21 pitches called strikes that were out of the zone. Are umpires showing the rookie a lack of respect, or is it just bad luck? Either way, Langford has shown elite emotional maturity in handling the ups and downs during the first month.

"I think he's just being very selective. Is it too selective? I can't say why in terms of what the approach is, but I know that his chase rate hasn't been very high. And that's a great thing for a young player," Young said. "He is going to hit pitches in the zone. And I think that being able to show that elite approach is probably a positive at this point."

Young expects Langford to be more aggressive at the plate with more time in the league.

"He wasn't passive this spring, so I think it's just an adjustment he's making seeing high-quality Major League pitching on a nightly basis," he said. "The approach has been elite. There are times when maybe he's a little too passive when he could let it go a little bit more, but that's part of being a rookie. You'd probably rather have it this way: where he comes up and shows elite plate discipline rather than swinging at everything."

As for the flurry of bad calls, Langford has been forced to deal with, that might be the most impressive aspect of Langford's first month in the Majors.

"Wyatt has an elite emotional maturity to him, and he hasn't been bothered by calls that go against him," Young said. "And frankly, that's part of our team mantra and philosophy. Umpires are going to have good days; they're going to have bad days. So we can't let that become a distraction to us and what our focus is and what our mission is. Whether we're pitching or hitting, that's all part of the game, and you make the next pitch, you take the next swing, and you don't let it bother you, and Wyatt has exemplified that perfectly."