Jack Leiter News: Rangers call up 2021 MLB No. 2 draft pick for debut on Thursday vs. Tigers
Jack Leiter is going to make his MLB debut this week. The Texas Rangers have called up the 2021 number two pick in the MLB Draft and will set him on the league against the Detroit Tigers on Thursday.
Leiter has fallen a bit as a prospect since then. He's not listed in the top-100 for MLB Pipeline, though top college prospects are often inserted near the top of the list.
He's also only Texas' eighth-best prospect right now, their third best pitcher (also behind Kumar Rocker, Leiter's college teammate). Nevertheless, he was once full of promise and will aim to return to that and dominate the big leagues.
He joins the reigning World Series champions, so it might be a very good situation for him.
Jack Leiter to help ailing Rangers pitching
Jack Leiter is finally making his MLB debut. The former Vanderbilt pitcher was one of college's best before getting to the minor leagues with the Texas Rangers. It's been a long journey for him since then, but he's finally up.
It's coming at a good time for Texas. While they are in first place in the AL West, they're just 9-8 so far. The pitching staff has been beleaguered by injuries in that time, too.
Nathan Eovaldi is back and healthy, but they're still missing Jacob deGrom and Cody Bradford as well as others. The rotation has been thinned by that, and the bullpen has a few key players on IL like Brock Burke, Josh Sborz and Jonathan Hernandez.
If nothing else, Leiter provides them some depth if he can stay at the big-league level. As they continue to get healthier and return players, he could be a valuable asset either in the rotation or in long relief.
Either way, it's a big move for the defending World Series champions who have gotten off to a bit of a sluggish start so far. Leiter could be just what they need to get going.