Wyatt
Langford

Hot out of the gates to start the 2023 season, Langford has been slowed a bit by a lower body injury that he suffered during Week 4 against Siena. During the Tennessee series, the Gator outfielder went 2-for-10 with a home run, four walks and four strikeouts at the plate. The Vols attacked him with a mix of pitches to a variety of locations, unlike many other hitters in the Gator lineup who the Vols attempted to simply blow away with velo. Langford’s top exit velocity was 120 mph on a foul ball against an 88 mph Chase Burns slider. He also added a 100 mph line out and 99 mph single as his top three EVs over the weekend. The right handed hitter has double plus raw power to all fields as his top tool, and when added to his control of the strike zone (31 walks vs 16 strikeouts) he grades out as college baseball’s best package of hitting ability and power production who is not named Dylan Crews. Langford is also an above average runner, which plays up through strong instincts. Some scouts believe he can transition to a full-time role in center field at the pro level, but I’m skeptical, opting to just leave him in left field and let him rake at the plate. Overall, Langford is a slam dunk to be chosen in the first ten overall picks, and more than likely, the top five.

USA CNT: After limited action his freshman year in Gainesville, Langford broke out in a big way as a sophomore in 2022, leading the team in hitting (.355), home runs (26), triples (3), on-base percentage (.447), and slugging/ISO-power (.719/.364). The Gator outfielder sprayed hard-hit balls all over the field during the five-day national trial series (though bad luck saw just one of them fall in for a hit during that span). Still, Langford put the ball in play in 16 of his 19 plate appearances and most of the time in impressive fashion. Once overseas, balls started to drop and the slugger proved one of the top producers for the American squad, slashing .333/.407/.381 — one of the better lines in a tournament that saw depressed power numbers across the board. Limited to a corner in the outfield due to solid but unspectacular foot speed and closing ability, Langford has more than enough raw pop to fit there as a pro, and he should continue to be a force in the Gator lineup through his upcoming junior season. Also capable at catcher and at first base, there is some corner-utility potential, as well, though the best long-term fit is most likely on the grass. All-in-all it was a successful showing with Team USA and Langford should return to campus this fall as one of the top offensive outfielders at the college ranks and high up pro follow lists. He’s already discussed among pro scouts as a likely day one target in next summer’s draft.

The Gators' leadoff man stood out all weekend with consistent, hard contact and triple digit EVs. The left fielder led the Gators with five batted balls over 100 mph, including three in the series opener. His top EV was 111 mph on a line drive double and even his outs jumped off the bat with a 100 EV on a flyout and 96 on a ground out. For the series the sophomore (2023 draft-eligible) right handed hitter raked in a 7-for-14, three RBI performance. After just four at-bats as a true freshman in 2021, Langford leads the Gators with a .352 batting average and is second to Fabian in home runs with 15.