Wyatt Langford is the new American League Rookie of the Year betting favorite.
The Texas Rangers outfielder has surpassed Yankees pitcher Luis Gil, per FanDuel Sportsbook, with +135 odds.
Langford has been a revelation this year for the defending World Series champion Rangers. He's hitting .273 with 5 home runs and a .752 OPS. That's helped him to a bWAR of 1.7. He's taken it to another level over his past 10 games, as well. Since June 28, Langford is batting .432 with a .500 batting average on balls in play.
On June 30, he became the first rookie to hit for the cycle since Oddibe McDowell in 1985.
“It’s going to take everybody, but [Langford] makes our offense so much better, no getting around that,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said after that game. “We need everybody, but the way he’s playing is going to be critical for us to take care of him [physically]. He’s really played great baseball.”
For his part, Gil hasn't exactly fallen off the map. After three sub-par outings over the past few weeks, Gil bounced back on July 7 against the Boston Red Sox, firing 6.2 innings of one-run ball with nine strikeouts. Gil still has +195 odds to win AL Rookie of the Year, so this is more a matter of Langford passing him than Gil falling behind.
While Langford and Gil are by far the two favorites for the award, Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser comes in third with +850 odds. FanDuel doesn't give anyone else better odds than +1000.
Wyatt Langford has overcome plenty
The Rangers drafted Langford fourth overall in the 2023 MLB Draft, meaning the 22-year-old spent less than a year in the Minor Leagues.
At first, it appeared he may have been out of his element. Langford hit .224 over his first 31 games in the Majors, striking out 29 times and hitting for a .588 OPS. On May 6, he went on the Injured List with a hamstring strain. That means he has done the bulk of his Rookie of the Year work in the six weeks since his return.
Even through his struggles, Bochy saw signs of life from his rookie.
“I’ll say this, the guy has hit some hard-hit balls with no luck,” Bochy said at the time of his injury. “[Saturday] that he hit up the middle, … when you hit it over 100 miles an hour you’d like to have a little more luck than he has.”
When Langford returned and ultimately hit for the cycle, he left his teammates in awe.
“He’s such a good player,” Andrew Heaney said. “Since he’s come back he’s been hitting balls really hard. He’s been putting together really good at-bats. He has so many tools to beat you. He can hit for power, he can run, he plays good defense. Seeing him get comfortable and be so good here lately, it’s been fun to see. I’m so happy for him and it’s good for us.”
His manager agrees. He noted Langford's most entertaining attribute to MLB.com.
“He’s just an exciting player,” Bochy said. “You love how aggressive he is. No fear on the bases. Of course the speed. Great instincts out there. It’s just fun to watch him.”
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