Leiter received first-round interest from clubs as a New Jersey high schooler in 2019 but was set on attending Vanderbilt, which caused him to slide to the Yankees in the 20th round. The son of two-time All-Star and World Series champion Al Leiter, Jack made a spectacular, if brief, college debut last spring before emerging as the consensus best pitching prospect in the 2021 Draft this year. A Golden Spikes Award finalist, he no-hit South Carolina in his first Southeastern Conference start and held Missouri hitless for seven innings before departing in his second, tied teammate Kumar Rocker for the NCAA Division I strikeout lead with 179 in 110 innings and helped the Commodores reach the College World Series finals.
Leiter usually works at 90-95 mph and tops out at 97 with his fastball, which plays like an elite pitch because of its riding life and outstanding metrics, such as its induced vertical break. He gets an exceptional amount of swings and misses in the strike zone with his heater. He also has a 12-to-6 curveball in the upper 70s that he can both land for strikes or get hitters to chase, and his feel for spin also translates into a low-80s slider that some evaluators think has more upside than his curve.
In high school, Leiter flashed a solid changeup but he has rarely used it in college. He has exhibited spotty control at times but has gotten better with more experience, and the only real question is how he'll hold up with a full season's workload because he pitched just 74 1/3 innings between high school and Vanderbilt in 2019-20. His 6-foot-1 build is small for a starter, though he has added some strength and draws some comparisons to former Vanderbilt star Sonny Gray with a more diverse repertoire at the same stage of their careers.
The son of two-time All-Star and World Series champion Al Leiter, Jack turned down first-round money as a New Jersey high schooler in 2019 to attend Vanderbilt, where he emerged as the No. 2 overall pick two years later. In his lone full college season, he no-hit South Carolina in his first Southeastern Conference start, tied teammate Kumar Rocker for the NCAA Division I strikeout crown (179 in 110 innings) and pitched the Commodores to the College World Series finals. After signing for $7,922,000, he spent most of the last two years in Double-A struggling with his delivery as his stuff and control regressed.
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 starter.
Leiter played with top Yankees shortstop prospect Anthony Volpe at the Delbarton School (Morristown, N.J.) and turned down first-round money from clubs in the 2019 Draft to attend Vanderbilt, where he made a spectacular if brief debut in the shortened 2020 season before dominating the following year. He no-hit South Carolina in his first Southeastern Conference start, held Missouri hitless for seven innings before departing in his second, tied teammate Kumar Rocker for the NCAA Division I strikeout lead (179 in 110 innings) and pitched the Commodores to within a victory of their second straight national title. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 Draft, Leiter signed for $7,922,000 before scuffling in Double-A during his 2022 pro debut and again at the same level this year.
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.
The son of two-time All-Star and World Series champion Al Leiter, Jack turned down first-round overtures from clubs as a New Jersey high schooler in 2019 and dropped to the Yankees in the 20th round because he was determined to attend Vanderbilt. He made a spectacular but brief college debut in the truncated 2020 season before dominating in 2021, no-hitting South Carolina in his first Southeastern Conference start, tying teammate Kumar Rocker for the NCAA Division I strikeout lead with 179 in 110 innings and pitching the Commodores to within a win of their second straight national championship. After going No. 2 overall and signing for a Rangers-record $7,922,000, he got the rest of the summer off and made his pro debut in Double-A in 2022.
Leiter's fastball can play as an elite pitch, not so much because of its 92-98 mph velocity 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. His mid-80s slider has added velocity in his first pro season and has slightly surpassed his downer curveball that sits around 80 mph, though both are solid options with the potential to become plus pitches. He also shows some aptitude for throwing a power changeup with fade that he rarely used in college.
Leiter's spin rates and fastball metrics dipped in his first pro season, though the Rangers think it's just a delivery-related issue that he'll be able to rectify. If so, he has the stuff and moxie to be an ace once he refines his command, which gets spotty at times. The only other thing he has to prove is his ability to handle an increased workload in pro ball, because he's small for a starter at 6-foot-1 and his 110 innings at Vanderbilt were easily a career high.
The son of two-time All-Star and World Series champion Al Leiter, Jack drew first-round interest as a New Jersey high schooler in 2019 but dropped to the Yankees in the 20th round because he was intent on attending Vanderbilt. After a brief but spectacular college debut during the shortened 2020 season, he emerged as the best pitching prospect in the 2021 Draft after no-hitting South Carolina in his first SEC start, tying teammate Kumar Rocker for the NCAA Division I strikeout lead with 179 in 110 innings and leading the Commodores to the College World Series finals. The Rangers selected him No. 2 overall and signed him for $7,922,000, a franchise record and the fourth-highest bonus in Draft history.
Leiter's 90-95 mph fastball peaks at 97 and 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 in the upper 70s, and he can land it for strikes or get hitters to chase it. His feel for spin also translates into a low-80s 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. At 6-foot-1 he's a bit small for a starter, but he has a sound delivery, got stronger in college and drew comparisons to former Commodores star Sonny Gray with a more diverse repertoire at the same stage of their careers. He has exhibited spotty command at times but has gotten better with experience and should continue to do so.
How this works:
This section shows two different ways to evaluate pitch movement.
On the left, “Total Movement” shows the real-world movement of a pitch, including the forces of gravity, which affects every pitch thrown.
Since gravity requires time, and slower pitches aren't 'better' just because they have more time to move, a pitch's movement is compared to other pitches of the same pitch type, within +/- 2 MPH and +/- 0.5 feet of extension/release.
On the right, Induced Movement (or IVB) is reported without gravity, and attempts to isolate movement created by the pitcher's ability to spin and manipulate the ball.
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's home runs allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Adjusted" view here accounts for different wall heights, distances and environmental effects using Statcast Park Factor data.
Standard
Year
Team
Avg HR Trot
Actual HR
xHR
HR-xHR
Doubters
Mostly Gone
No Doubters
No Doubter %
2024
26.4
7
7.3
0
5
5
3
42.9
Player
26.4
7
7.3
0
5
5
3
42.9
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's home runs allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Standard" view here accounts for different wall heights and distances but excludes environmental effects. It is based purely on the observed trajectory of the hit.
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's home runs allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Adjusted" view here accounts for different wall heights, distances and environmental effects using Statcast Park Factor data.
Standard
Year
HR
2024
7
6
7
8
7
9
9
8
8
5
7
10
7
6
8
7
6
6
8
8
6
8
9
7
7
5
6
4
9
9
9
Player
7
6
7
8
7
9
9
8
8
5
7
10
7
6
8
7
6
6
8
8
6
8
9
7
7
5
6
4
9
9
9
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's home runs allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Standard" view here accounts for different wall heights and distances but excludes environmental effects. It is based purely on the observed trajectory of the hit.
! Note: Shifts are through the 2022 season, Shaded starting from the 2023 season, Shift:
three or more infielders are on the same side of second base, Shade: positioned outside of
their typical responsible slices of the field. Learn more about
how positioning is defined here