Former Rangers hitting coach Bret Boone didn’t spend long in Texas, but he still came away with a clear read on two players he believes should be off-limits if the Rangers start taking deadline calls.
During an interview on 105.3 The FAN on June 25, 2026, Boone said Wyatt Langford and Jacob Latz were the only players he would treat as completely untouchable. When the hosts pressed him for three names, Boone stopped at two.
The Langford choice is easy to understand. Boone’s background is in hitting, and Langford has already flashed the kind of ceiling that makes a front office lock in.
He has 30-30 potential at the plate and can handle himself as a plus defender in both left and center field when healthy. At 24, he also fits the long-term picture, with three more arbitration-eligible seasons ahead of him.
The expectation is that he’ll be paid and that Ray Davis, Chris Young and Ross Fenstermaker want him to become the face of the franchise.
Latz is the more surprising name, mostly because he’s a reliever and never worked directly with Boone. Still, Boone put him on the same level.
Latz has turned into a versatile swingman and then a dominant closer, first in 2025 and now in 2026, where he’s been piling up multiple-inning saves. His unlikely All-Star run has only strengthened his case.
He’s 30, which is young for a relief pitcher, and he’ll be arbitration-eligible after this season.
There’s also a practical side to the Latz conversation. Davis and Young have historically undervalued closers and haven’t shown much appetite for paying a proven finisher.
If anything, Latz’s rise may make them even less inclined to protect him, whether that means at the deadline or in extension talks next season. The Rangers could always try to find another arm like Jakob Junis or another cheap retread.
Right now, Langford and Latz may be the two most talented players on the roster. Corey Seager is struggling, while Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi are both approaching 40. That’s part of why Boone’s picks stand out, even if Latz feels more like a player who has won over the fan in Boone than the former hitter and coach.
As for the club’s deadline direction, it’s still difficult to imagine the Rangers as sellers, and it’s just as hard to see aggressive buying as the answer. Either way, Boone’s message was clear: Langford and Latz should be as close to untouchable as possible.
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