Rangers land 2 prospects in Top 10

ARLINGTON -- Coming off the first World Series championship in franchise history, both the present and the future are shining for the Rangers.

The Rangers finished with two players in the top three of American League MVP voting this season in Corey Seager and Marcus Semien. Now, the organization also boasts two of the top six players on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list: outfielders Evan Carter (No. 5) and Wyatt Langford (No. 6).

Shortstop Sebastian Walcott (No. 71) and right-handed pitcher Brock Porter (No. 88) also landed in the Top 100, though their big league ETAs are further off.

Carter, the Rangers’ second-round pick in the COVID-shortened 2020 MLB Draft, broke onto the scene late last season, making his MLB debut on Sept. 8. The outfielder slashed .306./.413/.645 in his first 23 big league games before providing that same level of production during Texas’ playoff run. In 17 postseason games, Carter hit .300 with a .917 OPS, hitting in the three-hole by the time the Rangers reached the ALCS.

The 21-year-old no doubt enters Spring Training conformable in his ability to be the Opening Day left fielder for the Rangers.

“It's actually really fun to watch,” Seager said of Carter shortly after his debut. “The kid has zero fear. He's going out there and playing free and being himself. He's not trying to do too much. He's just staying within himself. It's pretty special. … He doesn't seem like [the pressure] has affected him. It doesn't look like it, which is pretty cool. It speaks to his character, speaks of his personality and speaks to the player he is. He's just confident in who he is.”

Unlike Carter, an unheralded prospect coming out of high school, Langford was one of the Southeastern Conference’s best players in 2023, leading into the MLB Draft. The No. 4 overall pick out of the University of Florida, Langford has quickly proven to be one of the best prospects in baseball in a short amount of time.

Langford had a .360/.480/.677 slash line in his first 44 Minor League games across four levels, capping off his professional debut with Triple-A Round Rock. He’s already snagged an invite to big league Spring Training and no doubt has a shot to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster for Texas.

“I think the biggest thing is a true path to playing,” general manager Chris Young said at the Winter Meetings last month. “But we are putting the best team on the field to go win Major League Baseball games, and if that's Wyatt Langford, then it’s our job to put the best team out on the field. So those things aren't going to have that effect on us in terms of hard decision-making, because every game matters. The games in April matter, too, and we want to put the best team on the field to win.”