Rangers' Wyatt Langford hits for first cycle in MLB this year

Almost a year after he was selected fourth overall in the MLB Draft, Texas Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford hit for the first cycle of his young career on Sunday night against the American League East-leading Baltimore Orioles. It was the first cycle in the majors this season.

Langford sealed the feat with a 404-foot home run to left field that plated three runs in the eighth inning of the Rangers’ 11-2 victory.

Langford started his night — just the 60th game of his MLB career — with a fly out but he tripled to the left-field wall to open the fourth inning and begin his pursuit of the cycle. He doubled and drove in a run when he next came to the plate in the fifth, then added a single in the sixth.

✅ Single
✅ Double
✅ Triple
✅ Home run

All 4 hits from Wyatt Langford’s first career cycle ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/i85VqxaCzc

— MLB (@MLB) July 1, 2024

Langford’s cycle was the 11th in Rangers history and the first since Carlos Gomez on April 29, 2017.

Langford made a rapid ascent to the majors after being drafted out of the University of Florida last July. He made his professional debut in the Arizona Complex League on July 28 and reached Triple A by Sept. 4. He opened his career with such an impressive slash line — .360/.480/.677 with 10 home runs and a 36:32 BB:K — that he was briefly considered as a postseason addition for the eventual World Series champion Rangers.

Langford was a non-roster invitee to Rangers spring training this year and only had an outside shot at breaking camp with Texas. But he dazzled, batting .388 with six homers in his first 17 spring games. Although he had just 200 minor-league plate appearances across four levels under his belt, the Rangers announced in the final days of spring training that Langford had made Opening Day roster. When he debuted on March 28, Langford joined Nolan Schanuel of the Los Angeles Angels as the first players from the 2023 draft to reach the major leagues.

Langford hit .224/.295/.293 through his first 31 games before a hamstring strain landed him on the injured list on May 6. Since returning on May 28, he has improved upon his early showing. He was batting .275/.333/.422 through his first 28 games before his performance Sunday night.

Langford is the first rookie in MLB history with a cycle, a grand slam and an inside-the-park home run, according to Elias Sports.

(Photo of Langford doing a post-cycle interview: Reggie Hildred / USA Today)