Wyatt Langford - ? Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Wyatt Langford hits inside-the-park home run for first career MLB long ball

Originally posted on 5 GOATs | By Dan Morrison | Last updated 4/28/24

There are few young MLB players as exciting as Wyatt Langford. The Texas Rangers rookie outfielder is one of the favorites to win the AL Rookie of the Year Award at the end of the year and is doing what he can to help Texas defend its World Series title.

However, to this point in the season, Longford has lacked power. That’s a bit of a surprise, given the numbers he put up in college. Still, he was able to finally find his first career home run on the last Sunday in April against the Cincinnati Reds.

That first home run for Wyatt Langford wasn’t the usual bomb, though. It was an inside-the-park home run that flashed a mixture of the power and speed that makes him a special player.

You can watch Wyatt Langford hit his first MLB home run, here:

An inside-the-parker for Wyatt Langford's 1st career homer! pic.twitter.com/NTweYIf3Fi
— MLB (@MLB) April 28, 2024

The Texas Rangers already had a two-run lead in the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds when Langford came to the plate. He then drove the ball the opposite way to the wall, where it was misplayed by the Reds. That let the ball get away and it let Langford get off to the races.

Whether Wyatt Langford got a traditional home run over the fence or an inside-the-park home run, it’s a moment that Langford is going to be able to hold onto throughout his career.

Notably, according to Baseball Savant, the ball that Wyatt Langford hit had an exit velocity of 101.4 MPH. It went 378 feet in the air and in six different ballparks it would have left the yard for a traditional home run. That includes Great America Park, where the Reds play.

Coming into this game against Cincinnati, Langford has hit .245 with nine RBIs and a stolen base this season. He also has an OBP of .324, a slugging percentage of .296, and an OPS of .620 this season.

As a college athlete, Wyatt Langford played for the Florida Gators. In three seasons at the college level, he hit .363 with an OBP of .471, a slugging percentage of .746, and an OPS of 1.217. He also had 47 career home runs in 134 college games.

The Texas Rangers used the fourth overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft on Wyatt Langford, and they decided this spring that he was already ready for the Show and had him start the 2024 season in the majors.

This article first appeared on 5 GOATs and was syndicated with permission.

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