MLB Network breaks down Wyatt Langford’s unique swing: ‘He’s like a unicorn’

Florida Gators slugger Wyatt Langford is one of the top hitting prospects in this year’s MLB Draft. However, there is a challenge in scouting him for the next level because Langford has a unique swing that is difficult to find a comparison for.

Ahead of the 2023 MLB Draft, MLB Network’s Mark DeRosa and Dan O’Dowd broke down Langford’s play and his unique swing.

“He’s a really interesting kid for me, because he’s more of a throwback type of guy for me,” O’Dowd said. “Like if you watched games in the ’60s or ’70s or ’80s, his physical approach to the game reminds me of a player from that era. And he has just jumped. He’s a physical freak, like you can see. Like this kid is really strong.”

At this point, DeRosa chimed in that he went back to watch Wyatt Langford in high school. There, he saw a different player than Langford is today.

“I went back to watch this kid in high school…he didn’t have this body. He was a little chunkier. He was trying to play third and catcher, and he is pot committed to getting into the best shape possible,” DeRosa said.

“My only thing, and it’s not something I would ever teach or be taught or know how to hit like that, he is very much trying to — I mean, he’s going to left field.”

O’Dowd did emphasize that Wyatt Langford has a very unique swing in the modern game. It’s this swing that makes him hard to analyze. However, it also seems to be the cause of much of his success.

“What I like about him are his short arms. His short arms, I feel, makes him so direct and quick to the ball that he can even be fooled with a pitch and still do damage with it. He looks different than a high pick. Like when you try to do a player comp on him, he looks like a Brian Downing. It’s not a real easy comp but I wouldn’t discount the fact that he also has electric hand speed and he’s very, very direct to the ball and he gets unique lag because it doesn’t really go into a lag position. It’s more from the head directly to the ball,” O’Dowd said.

“So, he’s like a unicorn. He’s a different looking player.”

Why Wyatt Langford moved to center field

Earlier this season, Wyatt Langford was moved to center field. It was a decision that head coach Kevin O’Sullivan explained.

“Well he played it a bunch in the fall,” O’Sullivan said. “He actually played more center than he did left field in the fall. So I’m not saying this is a permanent move or anything like that, but just wanted to give it a look and see what it looked like.”