Heralded Texas Rangers outfielder prospects Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford aren’t lighting it up in the big leagues, but there’s no need for the team to panic about either.
- Through Tuesday’s games, Carter — the fifth-raneadked prospect in the majors is hitting only .220. The left-handed-hitting outfielder has flashed power, hitting five home runs, and walked 11 times to keep his 2024 OPS at a respectable .776.
- Late last season and during the playoffs, Carter performed well for the World Series champion Rangers, prompting praise from teammate Marcus Semien.
His swing and his baseball skills, they’re beyond his years,” the second baseman said of the 21-year-old.
Langford — the sixth-ranked prospect — made his big-league debut on Opening Day. He’s batting .238 but has only one home run — an inside-the-park job — and 26 strikeouts, two more than Carter.
Over the first nine games, Carter showed great patience at the plate, walking nine times and only whiffing three times. Since then, however, he has struggled, walking twice and striking out 21 times.
Carter has especially struggled against left-handers in the big leagues across the past two seasons, slashing .042/.148/.042/.190 and striking out 12 times.
With strong numbers against righties, Carter looks like a platoon player for now. He still can change that narrative but may not get many chances to correct that gigantic disparity.
Meanwhile, the right-handed hitting Langford, also an outfielder, has hit better against southpaws than Carter, slashing .208/.286/.417/.702. However, his OPS against righties is only .606.
- Considering Langford’s age (22) and inexperience, Texas should feel pretty good about his progress.
Fortunately for the Rangers, they are loaded with good offensive players, so they can afford and Langford play regularly without it damaging their offensive output much.
