The son of a former Mets and Yankees pitcher will make his MLB debut this week.
Jack Leiter, Al Leiter’s son and former No. 2 overall pick in 2021, was called up by the Texas Rangers and will make his big league debut Thursday against the Detroit Tigers.
Leiter, who played his high school ball in Delbarton, New Jersey, got off to a good start in Triple-A this season, which included striking out 10 batters on April 12 against Oklahoma City and recording a 3.77 ERA in 14 ⅓ innings. .
He struck out 25 batters in that span and walked three while giving up four home runs in that span.
“He threw the ball really well out there,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy told reporters, according to MLB.com. “What a good time to call him because he’s pitching well, and again, he’s earned it.
“I told him when he left (spring training) that we were going to need him, and I loved the way he threw. I don’t think anyone thought we would make the changes we already made quite early in the season (with Michael Lorenzen making his debut Monday night). But still, (Leiter) really came into play at the end and he was throwing strikes, command, all that. I can’t wait to watch it.
The top draft pick in 2021 is the Raners’ No. 8 prospect, according to MLB.com.
Leiter had a rough start when he made the jump to the minor leagues after his college career at Vanderbilt and posted a 5.37 ERA over his first two seasons in Double-A before getting his act together this year.
The Rangers were recalled after Cody Bradford was placed on injured reserve, which already includes Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer and Tyler Mahle.
It’s unclear how much time Leiter will spend with the big league club and the Dallas Morning News suggested it could be a one-time start for Leiter and that rain in the forecast for Wednesday could make that stay in the big leagues even shorter.
New York Post
