Langford breaks out with homer in 3-hit game

The Rangers selected Wyatt Langford with the No. 4 overall pick in this year's Draft because of his ability to produce at the plate. And since his professional career has begun, the former Gators standout has picked up right where he left off.

Langford went a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with his first High-A homer, a walk and three RBIs in Hickory's 9-3 loss to Asheville on Wednesday at McCormick Field.

“I feel like I’m seeing the ball pretty well,” he said. “Every time I go out there, I feel really comfortable. I have a lot of momentum going right now. So I'm just trying to keep it going.”

Since his pro debut on July 28, Langford has posted five multihit games. Crawdads manager Chad Comer attributes that sharpness to the 21-year-old's confidence and ability.

“I think he goes up there and really manages his at-bats well,” Comer said. “He hunts pitches that he's gonna drive and he does a good job of that. Since he’s been here, he’s continued, day in and day out, to turn in good at-bats. And I think it's just a testament to the type of hitter that he is and is going to be.”

Langford’s three hits Wednesday matched his career high for a single game in the pros. The native of Gainesville, Fla., also posted a three-hit game on July 31 in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League, just his third pro game. He's compiled a slash line of .409/.552/.818 in six games with Hickory.

In both three-hit games, the outfielder fell a triple shy of hitting for the cycle. On Wednesday, he opened up with a double to left field off right-hander Alex Santos (Astros) for the Crawdads’ first hit.

In the fifth, Langford briefly tied the game at 3-3 with a monstrous two-run homer to center -- his first with Hickory, and the second of his career.

"Any time you hit a home run, it feels pretty good, but that one felt a little better,” Langford said. “I was looking for a slider the whole at-bat and jumped on it when I got one.”

Looking "a little bit" for the opportunity to triple in the eighth but more focused on getting on base, the former three-sport athlete drew a five-pitch walk.

Comer has been impressed with Langford’s plate discipline and ability to command the zone consistently. He has drawn five free passes as a testament to that patience and vision at the dish.

“I think he just does a good job adjusting during the at-bat,” the skipper said. “He’s recognizing the way that they're trying to pitch him and just different things like that. He's really good about being present in the short span that I've managed him so far. He doesn’t try to do too much.”