Leiter graduated from Delbarton High School in Summit, New Jersey in 2019, with a commit to Vanderbilt.

Growing up in New Jersey, Leiter was high school teammates with Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe, and the Yankees drafted both players in 2019. Volpe was a first round pick and Leiter was a 20th rounder because he made it clear he was going to Vanderbilt. He did not sign with the Yankees and, two years later, he was the No. 2 pick.

Jack is the son of former major leaguer Al Leiter, who is now an analyst on MLB Network.

Al Leiter captured World Series titles with the Blue Jays (1992, 1993) and Marlins (1997) while also recording a no-hitter on May 11, 1996.

His father Al Leiter spent 19 seasons in MLB.

He had a career record of 162-132 with a 3.80 ERA, and accumulated 1,974 strikeouts over 2,391 innings.

Jack's uncle, Mark Leiter, and cousin Mark Jr. have also seen big league playing time.

Leiter's path to pitching stardom began when he was still in diapers. Al, then with the Mets, littered the family's Queen's apartment with dozens of plastic balls, similar to the ones you'd find in the ball pit at Chuck E. Cheese.

Jack quickly began chucking them at every turn, with Al standing behind him to raise his elbow to the appropriate height. Jack would join his dad at Shea Stadium and ballparks across the country as he grew up, glove and ball in hand at every turn.

Ask Jack about the best parts of his arsenal, and he quickly pivots to a discussion of his through process.

"My mental focus is probably my best skill," Jack says. "My routine and preparation is something I really take pride in -- I was always the smallest guy on the mound, but my dad always told me, 'You're going to hit that growth spurt.'

"Once we didn't worry about that, I was able to focus on my mechanics, the mental side of my game. I was kind of able to grow as a pitcher in that respect for a lot of years before even coming (to Vanderbilt)." (Michael Shapiro - Sports Illustrated - June 2021)

A first-team Preseason All-American, scouting directors also voted Leiter as having the best command of the 2019 class with an up-tempo delivery and a starter’s arm action.

Leiter had success during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season as a freshman.

The Commodores’ righty appeared in four games, making three starts, going 2-0 while striking out 22.

During his freshman year, opponents only hit .098 off of the 20-year old right-hander over 15.2 innings.

March 20, 2021: Leiter tossed a no-hitter against South Carolina, striking out a whopping 16 Gamecocks batters in a 5-0 win at Hawkins Field in Nashville.

The New Jersey native finished off his masterpiece with a swinging strikeout -- his 16th on the day and 49th of the year -- and was immediately mobbed by his teammates.

July 11, 2021: The Rangers chose Leiter with their #1 pick (#2 overall), out of Vanderbilt. He went behind only C Henry Davis. 

And Jack signed just before the Aug. 1, 2021 deadline for $7,922,000, via Derrick Tucker.

In 2022, the Baseball America Prospect Handbook rated Leiter as the #1 prospect in the Rangers organization. He was at #7 a year later, early in 2023. He was at #12 in the spring of 2024. Then, a year later, early in 2025, he was at #8.

Feb 17, 2022: Rangers best prospect out of college - Jack Leiter, RHP (No. 1, MLB No. 12)

Leiter was the most dominant pitcher in college baseball and the top college prospect in his lone full season at Vanderbilt last spring, no-hitting South Carolina in his first Southeastern Conference start and tying for the NCAA Division I strikeout lead with 179 in 110 innings. The No. 2 overall pick last July, signed and will unleash his elite fastball and downer curveball on pro hitters for the first time in April. (Mayo, Callis, Dyhstra - MLB.com - Feb 17, 2022)

Feb 22, 2022: - Jack Leiter doesn’t think he’s started to feel like a professional baseball player just yet.

Leiter, the Rangers’ top-ranked prospect per MLB Pipeline, was drafted at No. 2 overall last summer, but he didn’t report to one of Texas' Minor League affiliates immediately. Instead, because of his workload during his sophomore season at Vanderbilt -- 110 innings as the Commodores finished as the College World Series runner-up -- he spent the rest of the summer and fall in Nashville, Tenn., working out at the pitching lab there. Feeling like a professional, Leiter said, likely won’t really hit him until he’s on the mound in April for Minor League Opening Day. 

“I would say that won't really kick in until I get into the swing of things in a season,” Leiter said. “I think it's kind of just getting into the daily routine of things, until there's a hitter in a different color uniform and an umpire back there and some fans in the stands. I would just say it's not fully there yet.”  And while he may not feel like it now, Leiter has been working and preparing like a professional. The right-hander has been in Surprise since about mid-January, living at the Rangers’ dorms and ramping up with bullpen sessions and live batting practice on his own schedule as he prepares for his first Spring Training. While it’s different with the ongoing MLB lockout, Leiter joined more than 100 other Texas prospects in Surprise this week for a Minor League minicamp as he continues to prepare for his professional debut. He threw his first bullpen session in minicamp on Tuesday, though he’s thrown multiple within the past month already.

“Obviously I haven't been through a camp yet, so I don't know what a real one feels like,” Leiter said. “But this feels right. Everyone's been super awesome, from the staff to the players, and I’m just looking forward to getting it going and getting into the spring and then into the summer. … There's a lot [of anticipation], but again, it's trying to keep it day by day and doing what I can to put myself in a good position and continuing to improve in every way possible.”

Some members of the Rangers’ big league coaching staff are on hand as support for the Minor League minicamp, but they aren’t fully immersed as they would be during a regular Spring Training. Even so, Leiter said co-pitching coaches Doug Mathis and Brendan Sagara have both been available to break down TrackMan data or how his pitches can be improved.

Despite coming into the organization as a well-rounded and polished college pitcher, Leiter emphasized that there are always things to work on. In the offseason, he focused on tweaking his slider and changeup grips, and he has continued to improve those two pitches, among other things, in Arizona. “You're never going to feel perfect,” Leiter said. “Sometimes you just have to kind of look back on where you were a year ago and compare it to today and realize how far you've come. I'm always working on my changeup, the feel and consistency and being able to land in any count and then kind of use it in a different way with two-strike counts to get a swing and miss. [I’m also] continuing to focus on command and how my body moves.”

 Though it’s been a short time in the organization, Leiter has already impressed coaches and front-office members throughout. President of baseball operations Jon Daniels said last month that Leiter's pure talent, drive and competitiveness are all what make him so well-rounded, despite having not thrown a professional pitch yet.

“Jack Leiter is a very good pitcher and he is a tremendous person,” said Rangers farm director Josh Bonifay. “He goes about his business the right way and he shows up. He's a part of the group and it's fun to watch him. He's got an electric arm and he's got big-time stuff. So we're very excited about it and him.”

While Leiter seems to be on the fast-track to the big leagues, he hasn’t let any of the outside noise affect how he’s gone about his business this spring. Whether he opens the season at High-A Hickory, Double-A Frisco or elsewhere, he believes he has what it takes to be an MLB pitcher down the road. 

“The way I see things, if you pitch like a big league pitcher in High-A, you’ll be in the big leagues when the time is right,” Leiter said. “If you pitch like a High-A pitcher in Triple-A, you're going to get hit around and you’re not going to have success. It’ll happen when the time is right. I want to do what I can to pitch like a big league pitcher. Whatever level they start me at is great, but I just want to focus on what I can control.” (K Landry - MLB.com - Feb 22, 2022)

July 2022: Dustin Harris and Jack Leiter represented the Rangers in the ASG Future Game at Dodger Stadium.

The 22-year-old was considered especially polished for an amateur when Texas selected the right-hander out of Vanderbilt with the second pick in last year’s draft. Because of that polish, the Rangers began his pro career with an aggressive assignment to Double-A Frisco in the Texas League. Perhaps predictably, it has been a bumpy ride. Leiter acknowledges pro ball has been an adjustment. He knows he has less room for error. “The hitters got a little bit better,” he said, “the strike zone gets a little bit stricter, a little bit more true.” 

Leiter, who nonetheless was selected for the Futures Game and who pitched a scoreless inning, still finds positives in his rough start. His slider is better than it was at Vanderbilt, he said. His changeup, a longtime project, is coming along. Mostly, though, he knows that a period of struggle is inevitable in baseball. Even this is preparing him for the big leagues. To succeed, he’ll need to remain as hungry for improvement in times of success as he is in times of failure.

“That’s the part you have to learn to embrace and to love,” he said, “that daily process and continuing to get better.” (Torres/Buchanan-TheAthletic.com-July 17, 2022)

March 2023 Q&A: 

MLB.com: First we'll start with baseball stuff. Looking back on last year, what did you learn the most about yourself in your first professional season?

Leiter: I think I just learned a lot about routines and the overall process in your first professional season. You know the way it went, obviously, results-wise, it didn't reach my expectations or anywhere near it, but I think I learned a lot through the ups and downs. So I’m looking forward to taking those learning experiences into this year and moving forward.

MLB.com: This is your first big league camp -- how has that been? How have the veterans been with giving you advice and things like that?

Leiter: It’s been awesome. The staff, the other guys -- from the young ones to the veterans -- have helped with a lot of the experience. They've all been extremely nice and helpful and willing to talk and kind of take me through their process and their routines and just give me ideas. It's been really helpful.

MLB.com: We saw you a couple of times talking to [special instructor] Greg Maddux out there. How's it been having a guy like him -- Hall of Famer, 18 Gold gloves, whole nine yards -- out here with y’all?

Leiter: It's the same thing as these veteran guys just on a whole other level. He’s somebody who did it for a long time at that high of a level. It's pretty amazing just to have him around. Just to see him, let alone talk to him and bounce ideas off of him and just hear what he has to say, it's been awesome. 

MLB.com: What have you learned from some of those big leaguers that have been around you these first three weeks of spring?

Leiter: It's like an endless bank of knowledge that we have in the clubhouse and on the field with, obviously, Maddux, too. Everybody can see why, obviously, he had a great career and accomplished a lot of what I want to accomplish. And then you look at the lockers next to you, and there's guys who are still doing it who have done it for the past 10 or 12 years. That's really cool.

So I think I've learned a lot just trying to listen and quietly observe as they go about their business. It’s all been really cool. 

MLB.com: Who’s been your biggest baseball influence that's not your father? How about a non-baseball athlete?

Leiter: I'd say when I was young, it was Pedro Martinez, who works with my dad on MLB Network, so I've been able to meet him a couple of times. Just watching his old highlights, it's special. I think he's somebody that every pitcher should look up to. My favorite non-baseball athlete, I think I'm going to go with Tyreek Hill right now. Or Jimmy Butler. I'm a Miami sports fan.

MLB.com: Favorite road city so far? I know you’ve only really been in the Texas League.

Leiter: I liked Springfield, [Mo.] I also liked Wichita, [Kan.]

MLB.com: What's on your playlist, what kind of music are you into? Is it the same pregame, or do you like to change it up a bit?

Leiter: I like all kinds of music, but my go-to in the car is probably country music. I go in phases, though. Pregame there's some times where I want some, like, hardcore music to get, you know, super pumped up and locked in. There's some times where I try to keep it loose, and I'll listen to something like country music. I like Luke Combs, Riley Green, Morgan Wallen, those types of guys.

MLB.com: What kind of shows are you binging or have you binged this offseason?

Leiter: I'm a big Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad kind of guy. So those are probably my top two, but I didn't binge much this offseason.  (Kennedi Landry - March 18, 2023)

Leiter wanted to accomplish a few things this offseason (2023). One of the biggest was finally finishing off his degree in human and organizational development from Vanderbilt, where he pitched two seasons in college. 

April 16, 2024: It’s time to officially add another member of the Leiter lineage to the ranks of Major League Baseball.

When Rangers skipper Bruce Bochy announced that Jack Leiter, whom the club chose with the second overall pick in the 2021 Draft, would be making his big league debut in Detroit, it marked the latest checkpoint in a rapid turnaround for a hurler who has seen a roller-coaster ride of highs and lows since arriving in the pro ranks.

Leiter, who had a rocky 2023 campaign, has shown significant improvement over three starts for Triple-A Round Rock in 2024 to begin the year. He’s been able to do so by having a strict focus on what’s directly in front of him. “Every game is important,” Leiter said in March 2024. “Every pitch is important. So it doesn't matter where I'm pitching, it matters how I'm pitching. And that's what I'm going to do is focus on executing.”

It certainly helps his case that Leiter has been striking out batters in droves -- more than anyone else in the Minors, in fact. His 25 punchouts entering April 25 leads all levels, making his 25/3 K/BB ratio all the more impressive.

That Leiter, the son of former big leaguer, Al, nephew of Mark and cousin of Mark Jr., is getting an early opportunity to prove himself at the big league level is likely no surprise to those who listened to Bochy during spring camp, where the right-hander made a considerable impression on Texas' big league brass. “He’s looked way more comfortable to me,” Bochy said. “I love his pace, the tempo that he has out there. And he’s throwing strikes. You can see he's different. He's a different pitcher this spring.

“I just really like how he's throwing the ball. I think he's in a good place right now mentally, talking to him. He's got a lot of confidence going in. The command, I think, is much improved.”

MLB debut (April 18, 2024): Leiter made his debut against the Tigers. Leiter's debut started well enough. He struck out Riley Greene, the first batter he faced, on three pitches. Leiter also punched out Kerry Carpenter on a nasty changeup, and pitched around a single and a walk in a scoreless first inning. 

The second inning did not go so well. The Rangers staked Leiter to a 4-0 lead against Kenta Maeda and Leiter gave it all back. The first three batters of the second inning reached base, and by the time it was over, Detroit had tied the game thanks in part to a Javier Báez double, a Greene triple, and a Mark Canha single. The Tigers pushed Leiter's pitch count up to 52 after two innings.

Detroit added another three runs in the fourth inning when Leodys Taveras was unable to reel in Carpenter's high fly ball to center field, resulting in a two-run triple. It was loud contact. It was also a play you'd like your center fielder to make. Spencer Torkelson followed with an RBI double to knot the game up 7-7, and end Leiter's afternoon. (Mike Axisa)  

College duo charts parallel paths to big leagues.

Among Texas pitchers not named deGrom, it is perhaps these two young hurlers whose seasons ahead could most influence the Rangers’ success. The duo charted vastly different yet similarly bumpy roads from the ultimate highs of collegiate stardom as teammates at Vanderbilt University to their highly anticipated major league debuts last summer. Now entering their age-25 seasons, both Kumar Rocker and Leiter have embraced the struggles they’ve endured along the way and continue to relish the unexpected reality of pursuing their big league dreams in the same clubhouse.

“I think if you told us that last year at Vandy, while we were in Omaha, that we were going to be debuting the same year for the same team in the big leagues, I don't think we would have believed it,” said Leiter. (Jordan Shusterman - March 4, 2025 - Yahoo Sports)

Leiter has a 93-98 mph FASTBALL. that he can pinpoint to all four quadrants of the strike zone, deserving a 60 score. Jack spins a hammer 12-to-6 CURVEBALL with plus depth at 76-78 mph with an elite spin rate in the range of 2600-2700 rpm. That curve grades at 45 and is headed for a 55 grade.

He also has an 81-83 mph slicing 82-83 mph SLIDER that is an above-average 55 grade. He also has an 82-84 mph CHANGEUP with good arm speed that is a solid 45 grade. His CUTTER grades 40. And he has 45 grade control. 

Though he reached Arlington, Leiter still has a few more coats of polish to apply before he’s ready to become a stalwart in the rotation. His success at Triple-A was due in part to a much smoother, more repeatable delivery, which in turn aided his command. The bread-and-butter of Leiter’s arsenal is his combination of a mid-90s fastball and a mid-80s slider.

Of his 141 strikeouts between the major and minor leagues, 122 came on either a fastball or a slider. Leiter complements those two pitches with a changeup, curveball and cutter. None of those three offerings is better than fringe-average. Leiter’s walk rate rose slightly year over year, going from 10% in 2023 to 10.8% in 2024.

Scouts outside the organization were concerned about the quality of his off-speed pitches, saying that none of them has the late movement to be a true big league weapon. Perhaps more concerning is his slipshod command. If hitters can lay off of his offspeed pitches, they’re likely to get hittable fastballs in the zone as a reward. (Josh Norris - Baseball America Prospect Handbook - Spring, 2025)

Leiter's fastball continues to sit at 93-96 mph and top out at 98 with plenty of induced vertical break and riding life, but it's not quite the elite pitch it was in college because he hasn't commanded it well and pro hitters have crushed it when he doesn't locate it up in the zone. He has added velocity and depth to a mid-80s slider that was his most effective pitch in 2023. He's now having trouble getting strikes or chases with an upper-70s curveball that used to be his best secondary offering and doesn't show much faith in a mid-80s changeup with modest fade.

Leiter spent two stints on the developmental list twice last year, for a week in June and six weeks later in the season, so he could focus on improving his mechanics. He's an explosive athlete who creates plenty of extension, but his timing can get out of whack, leading him to open early and lose direction toward the plate, which hampers his stuff and his ability to locate it. The Rangers are optimistic that his off-field work ironed out those kinks, and he'll need to in order to recapture his previous ceiling of a frontline start. (Spring 2024)

Jack made two stints on the development list in 2023. Part of the reason for those assignments was to change the way he used his lower half in his delivery. Specifically, the Rangers wanted him to keep his heel in connection with the rubber longer. They also simplified other aspects of his mechanics in an effort to help him throw more strikes and improve a walk rate that has been 10% or higher for the entirety of his career. Further improvements to the delivery were a target of his offseason work.

Leiter works with a four-pitch mix, starting with a mid-90s fastball with high spin and promising life through the zone. If he can throw more strikes, it could be a plus offering. None of his off-speed pitchesgrade as better than average, and even his best pitch, his slider, went through a major overhaul. The pitch, which comes in around 86 mph, needs to show sharper break because the current version acts more like a cutter. If he can add some break, it has the power to get to average. Leiter’s changeup and curveball are fringe-average, and his control will have to take a big step forward to get to below-average. (Josh Norris - BA Prospect Handbook - Spring, 2024)

Leiter's 93-98 mph fastball played as an elite pitch with tremendous riding life and induced vertical break in college, making it almost impossible to barrel when he located it up in the strike zone, but it got hit hard at times during his debut due to decreased metrics and command. He threw more strikes and missed more bats with an improved slider that added velocity (sitting in the mid-80s, topping out at 92 mph) and depth. His upper-70s curveball lost a bit of power and he struggled to land it for strikes, while he barely dabbled with a mid-80s changeup with some fade. 

After overwhelming college hitters with his stuff, Leiter hasn't been able to do the same to Double-A opponents because of his spotty control and command. He'll have to throw more strikes and live up in the zone more often with his fastball, and the Rangers believe he can do so by improving the timing and direction of his delivery, but he hasn't made those adjustments yet. The son of two-time All-Star and World Series champion Al Leiter, he grew up around the game and is more mature and comfortable than most pitchers his age. (Spring 2023)

Jack learned which parts of his arsenal play better and which ones need more refinement. The shape of his fastball backed up considerably and proved hittable despite sitting in the mid 90s and touching 100 mph. To be more successful, he needs to use his fastball in the upper part of the strike zone, where it will play better with the rest of his mix. Leiter's best off-speed pitch is his slider, which sat in the mid 80s and got whiffs and chases at easily the highest rates of his repertoire.

Leiter's big-breaking, upper 70s curveball has significant break and would pair well with his fastball if he threw the latter pitch up in the zone more often. His curve is easily recognizable out of his hand, however, and got the lowest rates of strikes, swings and chases of any pitch in his mix.

Leiter's mid-80s changeup is his weakest pitch and was used sparingly. Leiter threw strikes just 59% of the time as well, leading to an elevated walk rate of 5.4 per nine innings. Lefthanded batters hit Leiter particularly hard, including eight of the 11 home runs he allowed.

If Leiter can tweak his arsenal and improve his control and command, he has a chance to be a mid-rotation starter. If not, he might fit more toward the back of a rotation. (Josh Norris - Baseball America Prospect Handbook - Spring, 2023)

Leiter's fastball plays as an elite pitch, not so much because of its low-upper 90s mph velo but more because of its tremendous riding life and induced vertical break, which make his heater almost impossible to barrel when it's up in the strike zone. He backs it up with a plus upper-70s curveball with true downer break, and he can spin it for strikes or get hitters to chase it. He also has a low-80s slider that some scouts believe could surpass his curve as well as the makings of a solid changeup that he rarely used in college. 

Leiter has the stuff and moxie to be an ace once he refines his command, which gets spotty at times, and the only thing he has to prove is his ability to handle an increased workload in pro ball. His 110 innings at Vanderbilt were easily a career high and his performance dipped at midseason, when he gave up eight homers in three starts and skipped his next outing. Though he's small for a starter at 6-foot-1, he has gotten stronger in the last two years and has drawn comparisons to former Vanderbilt star Sonny Gray. (Spring 2022)

Jack's height generates questions about whether he can generate enough angle on his pitches to avoid becoming homer prone as a professional, something that was an issue in college. Of the 26 runs Leiter allowed in 2021, 17 came on home runs. (Josh Norris - Baseball America Prospect Handbook - Spring, 2022)

Leiter's fastball plays as an elite pitch because of its outstanding riding life and induced vertical break, generating plenty of swings and misses in the strike zone. His second-best offering is a plus 12-6 curveball and he can land it for strikes or get hitters to chase it. His feel for spin also translates into a slider that some evaluators think has more upside than his curveball, and he has flashed a solid changeup but rarely needed it as an amateur.

The only real question with Leiter is how well he can handle a pro workload, because his 110 innings at Vanderbilt were the most he ever has worked and his performance dipped at midseason, necessitating a skipped start. He has exhibited spotty command at times but has gotten better with experience and should continue to do so. (Spring 2021)

Jack shows exceptional feel to locate that curve for strikes or bury it for swings and misses as a chase pitch. And lands a low-80s SLIDER with consistency as well. He is able to spot his breaking ball in the strike zone or bury it as a chase pitch. With a clean arm action, major league bloodlines and no real weaknesses in his game, Leiter figures to rise to the Majors. 

He's a pure pitcher with excellent command of his advanced stuff. He was probably the most polished pitcher in the 2019 and 2021 Drafts.

Jack's glove covers his face for much of the time he is on the mound, and you need to comb through each outing like the Zapruder film to find a smile.

"Don't be fooled to think that he is a passive dude," says Al Leiter, Jack's father and a former MLB All-Star pitcher himself. "Internally, he wants to rip your face off." (June 2021)

Jack gets his entire body into his delivery. He turns his hips well, he has a deep arm circle in back, coming across his body a little upon his release.

But his command fluctuates because his landing foot and delivery to the plate tend to vary, but he has shown the ability to make in-game adjustments. (Baseball America - Sept. 2018)

Jan 10, 2022: Jack Leiter hasn’t thrown a professional pitch yet, but that’s been by design for Texas’ No. 1 overall prospect. The Rangers front office has been intentional with how they’ve handled the right-hander since drafting him at No. 2 overall. He threw 110 innings at Vanderbilt last spring and the Rangers didn’t want to overextend Leiter after a long college season in which the Commodores finished as the World Series runner-up.

After spending the summer and fall in Nashville, working out at the Vanderbilt pitching lab and furthering his degree, Leiter is ready to take the next step in his professional career in 2022.

“It's the first season and it's gonna be all about baseball and that's my job,” Leiter said. “That's what I'm going to be doing and obviously putting 100% of my focus and attention on. I'm just taking it one day at a time doing what I can today to be better than yesterday. Not just in baseball, but off the field as well. It's just doing what I can today and letting the long term take care of itself by just focusing on the day-to-day.” 

Leiter was in Arlington for a series of leadership seminars with five other top-30 prospects and other Rangers staff. He is headed to Arizona later for a pitchers' camp out in Surprise. He took a trip out to the biomechanics pitching lab in October.

“The Rangers pitching lab is unbelievable in terms of the level of technology and the sort of information that they can gather,” Leiter said. “If anything, [the lab] just increases confidence in yourself. It’s a lot of technology that I don't even understand obviously, but people who do understand it a lot better than me can bring back information on what I do really well and I can kind of feed off of that and build confidence.”

While in Nashville, Leiter took what he learned from the pitching lab and worked on fine tuning various mechanics and pitch repertoire as he prepared for his first full professional season. Vanderbilt has an alumni locker room, where former Commodores can come to train in the offseason. Leiter always had a catcher to throw to or a place to work out.

Leiter admits to tinkering a bit with his pitch arsenal, which includes a mid-90s fastball, an upper-70s curveball, a low-80s slider and a work-in-progress changeup. He specifically pointed to working on improving both his slider and changeup.

“I'm always tinkering with certain grips and what my thought process is as I'm letting it go with fingertip pressure and stuff like that,” Leiter explained. “I slightly changed up my slider grip. The way I'm thinking about it, I'm trying to throw it a little bit harder and get a little bit more downward tilt instead of horizontal movement. The changeup is something I'm always working on and I found a grip that I liked and I’m working on getting it consistent and building confidence.” 

Leiter figures to be on the fast track to the Show and he’s confident in his abilities to get there.

“I mean the confidence in any pitcher would say that I can face a big league lineup,” Leiter said. “Even the big leaguers won’t hit 1.000. So, I mean, I feel like I can. I know I can face big league hitters. It's just about consistency and continuing to refine certain things, but it's the same game. I feel like I would attack a lineup the same or similar way if it was a high school lineup or an SEC lineup or a big league lineup.” (K Landry - MLB.com - Jan 10, 2022)

April 9, 2022: In one of the more anticipated professional debuts of the last few years, Jack Leiter lived up to the hype while missing plenty of bats.

MLB's No. 17 prospect showed off his full arsenal in Double-A Frisco’s 8-7 win over Arkansas, touching 97 mph on his 70-grade fastball and generating several swings-and-misses from his 60-grade curveball and other breaking pitches. He worked around a few bouts of shaky command to strike out seven of the 12 batters he faced across three innings, allowing two walks, one hit and one run on 60 pitches (33 strikes).

"It felt really good. It was a long time coming," Leiter said. "Sort of anxiety built up to first time competing for real, it's been a long time. It felt good to get that one out of the way. We got the win, which is most important of all."

Though the nerves were there, the 21-year-old settled in quickly. After a relatively tame first inning that saw Leiter record his first professional strikeout on a breaking ball to 17th-ranked Mariners prospect Cade Marlowe, the Rangers' top prospect turned up the heat in the second inning. A leadoff walk did not faze him, and Leiter struck out the next three batters swinging, all on fastballs, with 13 pitches.  

"The command is something I'm always refining," Leiter said. "Today it wasn't particularly great with the fastball command, but in some bad counts I threw some good pitches and kind of worked my way through it. I kind of put a lot on the bullpen tonight because the pitch count was particularly high for those three innings, but otherwise I felt good. Again, it's just something to build off of." (S Sheehan - MLB.com - April 10, 2022)

2022 Season: Leiter struggled in his first professional season, posting a 5.54 ERA with Double-A Frisco, which resulted in a drop from No. 48 in MLB Pipeline’s Midseason Top 100 to No. 78. The right-hander walked 56 batters, though he struck out 109 in 92 2/3 innings.

I was sold on Leiter out of Vanderbilt. The fastball shape with a plus slider combined with solid strike throwing in college had me convinced he would move fast. But it has not translated. The fastball movement profile is not the same as it was in college, and he has really struggled to throw strikes. The 2023 season at first seemed to be a step in the right direction, but then it fell apart leading to another below-average season. Swing-and-miss stuff is still apparent with a 30.7% strikeout rate, but if he can’t get in the zone enough, he will struggle to start long-term. (Trevor Powers - Jan. 26, 2024)