The latest on Jack Leiter

Son of two-time All-Star Al Leiter, Jack Leiter was one of the most hyped pitching prospects in years. Coming out of Vanderbilt after just two seasons, he and fellow Rangers prospect Kumar Rocker put on a show with the Commodores, making them a must-see duo prior to the 2021 Draft. Taken second overall by the Rangers, Leiter carries an elite fastball that can reach up to 97 mph with tremendous life, as well as a plus curveball, drawing comparisons to another Vandy alum in Sonny Gray.

Age: 22
MLB rank: 48
Team: Frisco RoughRiders (Double-A)
ETA: 2023
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Sept. 27: Walks plague Leiter once again
Jack Leiter is having a rough go of it with his command of late, and that continued on Tuesday. The right-hander lasted just 1 2/3 innings, giving up two runs on two hits and four walks while striking out one. It was his third straight start of failing to get passed the fifth inning. Gameday »

Sept. 20: Struggles with control again
Jack Leiter couldn't find the strike zone for the second straight start, as he walked six batters across 3 1/3 innings for Double-A Frisco on Tuesday. He surrendered three earned runs on two hits while striking out four. It's the second straight start Leiter has walked six batters. Gameday »

Sept. 13: Can't find strike zone in loss
Jack Leiter continues to struggle with his control, as he walked six batters across 4 1/3 innings in his latest start for Double-A Frisco. He surrendered five earned runs on five hits and took the loss for the 10th time this year. He struck out four. Leiter has walked at least 3 batters in all but two of his past eight starts. The six free passes is the most he's allowed in a professional start. Gameday »

Aug. 30: Strikes out five in solid start
Jack Leiter followed up an excellent start last week with another solid outing on Tuesday. The Rangers' No. 2 prospect allowed two runs on six hits and just one walk over five innings. He struck out five while throwing 54 of his 91 pitches for strikes. It was the fourth straight start Leiter struck out at least five batters. Gameday »

Aug. 24: Strikes out eight in solid start
Jack Leiter had the strikeout pitch working for him in his 20th game of the year, as he struck out eight across 5 1/3 innings for Double-A Frisco. He limited Wichita to just two runs, but had plenty of traffic on the bases, as he conceded six hits and three walks. His eight strikeouts ties his career high, which he set in his final start in May. Despite his solid outing, he was stuck with the loss, as the RoughRiders failed to score. Gameday »

Aug. 17: Strikes out seven in short start
Jack Leiter had himself a short but sweet outing for Double-A Frisco on Wednesday, as he struck out seven across four innings against Corpus Christi. In those four innings, he allowed two runs on four hits and two walks. He dug himself into a bit of a hole early, as he threw 92 pitches, 55 for strikes. He now has 86 K's in 73 2/3 innings pitched this season. Gameday »

Aug. 11: Bounces back from rough first inning
It definitely didn't look like Jack Leiter's night to start Thursday, as the 22-year-old righty walked the first three batters to load the bases, but he bounced back beautifully, only allowing two runs to score in 5 2/3 innings pitched. Both runs came on a single in the first, but from then on, he scattered two hits, one more walk and seven strikeouts until he was yanked in the sixth. He had some trouble with command all night, throwing 53 of his 93 pitches for strikes, but he made it work. Gameday »

Aug. 5: So-so in Friday start
After an excellent start last week, it wasn't Jack Leiter's night on Friday. The Rangers' No. 1 prospect allowed three runs on four hits, including a home run, and three walks over five innings. He struck out four while throwing 51 of his 89 pitches for strikes. On the bright side, it was the second straight start Leiter threw at least five innings and 80 pitches. Gameday »

July 30: Best start since May?
Jack Leiter was on point Saturday for the Frisco RoughRiders. The Rangers' No. 1 prospect allowed only one run on two hits over 5 2/3 innings in a triumph over the Springfield Cardinals, the second-highest scoring team in the Texas League. He walked three, struck out four and threw 50 of his 80 pitches for strikes. It was the first time Leiter made it through at least five innings while allowing no more than one run since May 31, a span of seven starts. Gameday »

July 24: Goes 3 1/3 innings in return to Texas League
After dealing a perfect frame in the Futures Game, Jack Leiter allowed two runs -- both earned -- on four hits and a walk over 3 1/3 innings in his first game back with Double-A Frisco. The 22-year-old righty struck out a pair and threw 39 of 65 pitches for strikes. He's amassed 64 strikeouts over 53 1/3 frames for the RoughRiders this year.

July 16: Tosses perfect inning in Futures Game
Jack Leiter only threw nine pitches in the 2022 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game, but they were enough to get him through a 1-2-3 fourth inning. The 22-year-old righty induced two groundouts and a lineout, throwing six of his nine pitches for strikes. His efforts earned him a hold in the seven-inning game.

July 10: Roughed up in return
For the first time in over two weeks, Jack Leiter took the mound for Double-A Frisco after coming off the development list. The result wasn't pretty, though, as Leiter got hit around in a short outing. The Rangers top prospect gave up seven runs, six earned, on six hits and two walks in 1 1/3 innings against San Antonio, ballooning his ERA to 6.30. He served up two home runs, half of his season total coming into today. Gameday »

June 24: Leiter battles through five walks in four innings
Jack Leiter pitched four innings of two-run ball Friday night, but he didn't make it easy on himself. The 22-year-old walked five batters and gave up two hits while striking out four. It was the third straight start of at least four innings that he walked three or more. Gameday »

June 18: Leiter has up-and-down outing on Saturday
Leiter labored through four innings Saturday in what may go down as his oddest start of the year. After striking out the first two batters of the game, Double-A Midland's three-hitter, Logan Davidson, reached on an error by Frisco's left fielder Dustin Harris. Leiter then walked the next batter. With two on and two out, Leiter gave up a three-run home run to the next batter, Jeremey Eierman, after nearly getting out of the inning.

The weirdness didn't end there. After a scoreless second and third inning, the leadoff hitter of the fourth got on via catcher's interference. Leiter walked the next hitter, but retired the next two after that before allowing a two out double, which scored both runners.

All in all, Leiter only allowed one earned run but would've liked to pitch deeper in the game and keep it closer. Leiter struggled to find the strike zone for most the outing, walking four batters. On the bright side, the 22-year-old was missing bats. Leiter struck out six over his four innings and gave up just two hits, though one was that first inning home run. Gameday »

June 7: Leiter struggles over five innings
After a 5 2/3-inning scoreless outing in his last time out, Jack Leiter was hit hard by Double-A Amarillo's lineup Tuesday. Leiter gave up seven earned runs over five innings, allowing seven hits and walking four. After not allowing a single home run during the month of May, the 22-year-old allowed two home runs to the Sod Poodles. Gameday »

June 1: Lights out to start June
Jack Leiter turned the page on a tough month with an outstanding performance on Wednesday. Following an opener, Leiter tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings with eight strikeouts for Double-A Frisco in his first June appearance. He allowed just four hits, but had a bit of trouble with his control, walking three. Overall, it was an encouraging outing from the 22-year-old, as he allowed 15 earned runs across his past three starts. Gameday »

May 26: Leiter solid in Thursday start
Jack Leiter was much improved during his Thursday start compared to his two previous outings. The 21-year-old tossed five innings of three-run ball, giving up just three hits and one walk while striking out five. But Leiter's start was even more impressive than his final line. After giving up three hits and a run in the first, Leiter settled in and allowed just one base runner through the fifth inning. The start lowered his ERA on the season from 6.38 to 5.90. Gameday »

May 20: Strong start foiled by big inning
After a strong first three innings for Double-A Frisco on Friday, things snowballed on Jack Leiter in the fourth, as he was tagged for seven earned runs. Leiter started the day with three scoreless innings and five strikeouts, but started the fourth by loading the bases and allowed four runs before being replaced with two outs in the inning. Reliever Tyler Thomas then allowed a grand slam, adding three more earned runs to Leiter's line. This comes after he allowed six earned in his last start and his ERA has inflated from 1.93 to 6.38 after the two lopsided outings. Gameday »

May 14: Leiter struggles in Saturday start
It wasn't Jack Leiter's day on the mound Saturday. The 21-year-old got just five outs, leaving the game with two outs in the second inning after giving up six earned runs, seven hits and a walk while striking out just one during the RoughRiders' 11-1 loss, dropping Leiter's record to 1-3 over six starts. Leiter's rough outing ballooned his ERA up to 4.43 on the season. Gameday »

May 7: Leiter dominates over six innings
Leiter fired his best pitching performance to date, allowing just two hits across six innings with five strikeouts in Double-A Frisco’s 5-0 victory. It was the first time this season he hasn’t walked a batter.

"I've just been working on being more efficient with my body, being more efficient with my pitches, being more on line to the plate and simplifying everything," Leiter said of his improved performance. Gameday »

April 30: A forgettable start for Leiter
Jack Leiter's fourth career Double-A start was one he'd probably like to forget, as he gave up four runs, three earned, in three innings of work on Saturday. It was the second straight start for Leiter where four runs have crossed the plate in three innings or less. He still holds a 3.55 ERA for Frisco and has struck out 19 in 12 2/3 innings pitched. Gameday »

April 23: Leiter struggles in short start
Jack Leiter made his third start for Double-A Frisco on Saturday against Northwest Arkansas, giving up four runs, though none were earned, on four hits while walking three and striking out five over 2 2/3 innings at Riders Field. An error by second baseman Justin Foscue proved costly in Northwest Arkansas' four-run third inning, which set the tone for a 12-4 Naturals victory over Frisco. Gameday »

April 16: Leiter tosses four innings of one-hit ball
In his second start of the year, Jack Leiter once again impressed with Double-A Frisco, tossing four innings while giving up one run on one hit in the first game of a doubleheader. He struck out four, but his control was a little erratic at times, as the 21-year-old walked three and needed 75 pitches to complete his outing. Through two professional starts, Leiter has struck out 11 and allowed two runs on two hits in seven innings, good enough for a 2.57 ERA and an even 1.00 WHIP. Gameday »

April 9: Leiter dominates in professional debut
The Rangers got their first look at their future ace on Saturday. Jack Leiter, Texas’ top prospect and the No. 17 prospect in baseball, per MLB Pipeline, dazzled in his professional debut against the Arkansas Travelers. The 21-year-old right-hander threw three innings, giving up just one run and one hit while striking out seven. Leiter’s stuff was electric, with his fastball clocked in at 97 mph at times.

April 5: Leiter to start season in Double-A
Jack Leiter's professional debut is just a few days away. The No. 2 overall pick from the 2021 Draft has been assigned to Double-A Frisco. There's plenty of hype surrounding his first start and the team has announced a variety of Leiter-related promotions. More »

March 17: Leiter is No. 17 on Top 100
After being named as the No. 3 RHP prospect by MLB Pipeline, Jack Leiter finds himself on baseball's latest Top 100 Prospects list, one of five Rangers to earn the distinction. The Vanderbilt product slots in at No. 17 despite not having thrown a pitch in a regular-season game since last year in college.

Leiter went 11-4 with a 2.13 ERA, a 0.845 WHIP and 179 strikeouts in 110 innings across 18 starts for the Commodores in his final collegiate campaign. Full story »

March 13: Leiter checks in as third-best RHP prospect
Without having thrown a professional pitch in a regular-seasosn game, Jack Leiter is already making noise. Last year's second overall pick was tabbed as the third-best right-handed pitching prospect by MLB Pipeline.

"It might be unfair to say someone who has yet to throw a professional pitch has a lot to prove, but considering he was drafted as a sophomore the year following the 2020 shutdown, Leiter has a, umm, lighter amateur resume than usual for a pitcher entering a first full season. That and the fact that as the No. 2 overall pick, there is some pressure for him to get to Texas quickly and help turn things around, makes him someone worth watching closely."

Leiter also graded out, with Nationals prospect Cade Cavalli, has having the best curveball among the Top 10 RHP prospects. Full story »

March 11: Leiter tosses first pitches as a professional
Calling it "really cool," Jack Leiter took the mound for his first outing as a professional, albeit in a scrimmage in Arizona with other Rangers' Minor Leaguers.

“It was awesome to get out here and face another team,” Leiter said. “I think kind of everyone was, with it being the first game of Spring Training, a little jumpy, but super excited. And I think at times that played against me today. It happens. I try not to put too much weight in it, but as a competitive guy, you obviously look back at your outing and see the numerous places you could be better, and kind of just move on from it.”

The 21-year-old allowed did not allow a run and gave up one hit, two walks and struck out two. Full story »