The Texas Rangers called up their 24-year-old pitching prospect Jack Leiter for his MLB debut in April last season. Leiter then spent the year bouncing back and forth between the Rangers and their Triple-A affiliate, the Round Rock Express. Leiter failed to light it up in the majors in 2024. But he has another chance to impress the big league club in spring training this season, with an Opening Day roster spot on the line.
While most baseball fans might be unfamiliar with Jack, they likely know his father Al Leiter, who pitched for 19 seasons in the majors with the Mets, Blue Jays, Yankees and Marlins. Al made two All-Star games in his career and was part of two World Series champion teams, winning it all with the Blue Jays in 1993 and then again with the Marlins in 1997.
Al Leiter retired after the 2005 season. Now his son Jack is attempting to follow in his father’s footsteps and become part of a major league starting rotation. Of course, unlike Al, Jack’s a righty.
With a shot to make the Rangers’ rotation, Al passed along some sage advice to his son. “His biggest advice is to enjoy the ride… Of course it’s serious; it’s a job, and you want to get the job done and do it at a high level and do it for a long time. But also understanding that it’s nothing if you’re not enjoying it,” Jack Leiter said, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
Rangers’ pitching prospect Jack Leiter is trying to enjoy spring training
Leiter wasn’t enjoying his time in the majors very much last season. He made six starts and nine appearances for the Rangers over the course of 2024, posting an ugly 0-3 record with an 8.83 ERA, a 1.710 WHIP and 31 strikeouts in 35.2 innings pitched.
Of course, those nine big league appearances were spread out from April to September as Leiter was called up to the Rangers in four different months. After a shaky debut in April, during which he gave up seven earned runs in just 3.2 innings, Leiter was sent back to Round Rock. And so on.
But when he threw in the minors last season, Leiter was a different pitcher. The former second-overall pick in the 2021 draft started 16 games in Triple-A last season and went 6-4 with a 3.51 ERA, 1.260 WHIP and 110 strikeouts in 77 innings pitched, good for a K/9 of 12.9.
The Rangers have a lot to figure out during spring training, including whether former ace Jacob deGrom will make the Opening Day roster. For the moment, Leiter is competing for a roster spot. And his past experience in the majors, however unpleasant, can only help in his development. And hopefully he can follow his father’s advice and enjoy it a bit more this time around.
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