Jack Leiter debut: Rangers announce former No. 2 pick will start on Thursday vs. Tigers

Jack Leiter debut: Rangers announce former No. 2 pick will start on Thursday vs. Tigers

The Texas Rangers announced on Tuesday morning that right-handed pitcher Jack Leiter will make his big-league debut on Thursday versus the Detroit Tigers.

Leiter, who will celebrate his 24th birthday next week and is the son of former World Series champion Al Leiter, was the No. 2 pick in the 2021 draft by way of Vanderbilt. Prior to this season, his professional career had not proceeded as planned. Instead, Leiter had struggled with his command and with physical setbacks. This season was off to a better start, however, with him amassing a 3.77 ERA and an 8.33 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 14 innings at the Triple-A level.

Leiter’s arsenal is at least five pitches deep, including a mid-90s fastball, a low-90s cutter, two types of breaking balls, and a seldom-used changeup. His heater has been particularly effective this year, generating a 43.6% whiff rate against minor-league competition.

CBS Sports ranked Leiter as the No. 2 prospect entering the 2021 draft. Here’s what we wrote at the time:

Leiter ranked No. 1 on the preseason list, and for good reason. He has a fastball that doesn’t take the stairway to heaven so much as it ziplines in, hopping over bats on the way to the mitt. That effect is achieved by a combination of its innate “rise”; the flat plane his release point and stature create to the top of the zone; and its mid-to-upper-90s velocity. Scouts would like to see him become more consistent with his secondaries, but there is a belief that he’ll be able to turn at least one of his breaking balls, be it his curveball or his slider, into a trusty outpitch before long. Leiter is held as intelligent and hardworking, and perhaps that shouldn’t come as a surprise given that his father, uncle, and cousin all pitched in the majors. Add in how he dominated the SEC, arguably the best draftee-vetting tool at the disposal of MLB teams, and the only way he gets past Boston’s fourth pick is if he wants to force himself elsewhere.

The Rangers rotation has been hampered by injuries. Left-hander Cody Bradford was placed on the IL earlier this week because of a strained lower back. He joined fellow staarters Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom, and Tyler Mahle. Scherzer, recovering from offseason back surgery, appears to be the closest to returning — though he’s yet to begin a rehab assignment, suggesting he’s still some ways off.