SURPRISE, Ariz. — Texas Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford spent his offseason in Florida, split between Trenton and Jacksonville, where he hunted, contemplated how to lower his strikeout rate and considered ways to avoid soft tissue injuries.
He didn’t spend much time in a panic over his defensive position.
Or, really, any time at all.
“I don’t care,” Langford said Sunday before the club’s first full-squad workout. “Whatever’s best for us.”
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The Rangers have five weeks to determine how to best use Langford — a Gold Glove finalist last season in left field — in their outfield alongside former top prospect Evan Carter. Langford played the majority of his major league career in left but his athleticism and range profile well in center. Carter, a speed threat whose largest hurdle has been availability, is a natural center fielder and played the position nearly full time when healthy last season.
Rangers manager Skip Schumaker has maintained that both Langford and Carter are capable center fielders with high upside at the position. He acknowledged at December’s winter meetings that there have been “conversations” about Langford’s future in center and said that Carter can certainly handle the corners.
Schumaker said Sunday that health — and, more specifically, an alignment that best mitigates usage injuries for each individual over the course of a season — may ultimately drive the decision.
“We’re really good when those guys are on the field,” Schumaker said. “Is there more wear and tear in center field? Is there more wear and tear in left field? Right field? We’re trying to figure all of that out and what that looks like for each player to keep them healthy for 162.”
Texas Rangers left fielder Evan Carter (32) catches a ball off the bat of Seattle Mariners third baseman Josh Rojas for an out during the ninth inning, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Arlington. The Mariners defeated the Rangers 4-0.
Elías Valverde II / Staff Photographer
Carter said last month that he doesn’t “really care” where he plays so long as it benefits the team. Langford took the same approach Sunday and said that the differences between left and center are only marginal.
Langford has an edge over Carter in defensive runs saved (6 to 4), outs above average (5 to 4) and defensive value (4.5 to 1.9) at the position since his big league debut two seasons ago. He’s played only two fewer games than Carter in center in that span due in large part to the latter’s substantial injury history. Carter has missed exactly two-thirds of all regular season games since the start of the 2024 season and taken five trips to the injured list.
“We can play both positions so it doesn’t matter who’s where,” Langford said. “It’s just whatever’s best for, obviously, both of us staying on the field.”
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