The Texas Rangers exuded confidence in pitcher Jack Leiter to take on the Boston Red Sox on Friday. Leiter returned with a solid performance, including four strikeouts and giving up one run in five innings pitched as the Rangers won 4-1.
With one start and his first major league win under his belt, Leiter is confident in his ability to get the job done—Via Abby Jones of DLLS Sports.
“I feel confident with all five of my pitches right now and that’s a good place to be.” he said.
This performance comes when the Rangers are poised to make Leiter their closer, but they want to get more out of him as a starter.
So, the expectations are there, but it took a year to get to this point.
The evolution of Jack Leiter’s role with the Rangers
The Rangers drafted Leiter, the son of former pitcher Al Leiter, in 2021. He attended Vanderbilt University, where he led them to the 2021 College World Series and was named Freshman of the Year by Baseball America.
Leiter struggled through the minor leagues before being called up by the Rangers in 2024.
There was tremendous hype for Leiter to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a standout pitcher. However, he is coming off a less-than-impressive 2024 season with the Rangers. He went 0-3 with an ERA of 8.83 and 31 strikeouts in nine games pitched.
The Rangers originally had Leiter toiling out of the bullpen. But before spring training, they added Leiter to the starting rotation along with his former college teammate Kumar Rocker.
The Rangers are coming off a less-than-stellar 78-win season but are expected to return to the postseason. Their pitching depth is growing and will be a key asset as the Rangers look to put the pieces back together from their 2023 World Series success.
The more they can get out of Leiter, the better he and they could be.
The post Rangers’ Jack Leiter drops truth bomb after stellar first 2025 start appeared first on ClutchPoints.
