Jack Thomas Leiter (born April 21, 2000) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

for the Texas Rangers of

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB). He played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the

Vanderbilt Commodores The Vanderbilt Commodores are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Vanderbilt University, located in Nashville, Tennessee. Vanderbilt fields 16 varsity teams (6 men's teams and 10 women's teams), 14 of which compete at the National ...

and was selected by the Rangers with the second overall pick of the

2021 MLB draft The 2021 Major League Baseball draft took place on July 11–13, 2021. In conjunction with the 2021 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, the draft was held in Denver. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order was s ...

. He made his MLB debut in 2024. Leiter is the son of former MLB pitcher

Al Leiter Alois Terry Leiter (; born October 23, 1965) is an American former professional baseball player and current television sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher from to for the New York Yankees, Toronto Blu ...

Early life

Raised in

Summit, New Jersey Summit is the northernmost City (New Jersey), city of Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located within the New York metropolitan area. Situated on a ridge in north Jersey, northern–central Jersey, centra ...

, Leiter attended

Delbarton School Delbarton School is a private, all-male Catholic college-preparatory school in Morristown, New Jersey, serving seventh through twelfth grades. It is independently directed by the Benedictine monks of St. Mary's Abbey in Morristown and is locat ...

Morristown, New Jersey Morristown () is a Town (New Jersey), town in and the county seat of Morris County, New Jersey, Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

, where he played

and was teammates with

Anthony Volpe Anthony Michael Volpe (born April 28, 2001) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Yankees selected Volpe in the first round of the 2019 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 2023 ...

. In July 2018, he played in the 2018

Under Armour All-America Baseball Game The Under Armour High School All-America Baseball Game is a high school baseball all-star game held annually to spotlight the United States' top high school players who are juniors or seniors. The game is played in late July or August, at Wrigley ...

. In December, he played on the

USA Baseball The United States Baseball Federation, doing business as USA Baseball, is a 501(c)(3) organization, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that acts as the national Sports governing body, governing body for baseball in the United States. USA Baseball ...

18U National Team in

Panama City Panama City, also known as Panama, is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has a total population of 1,086,990, with over 2,100,000 in its metropolitan area. The city is located at the Pacific Ocean, Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, i ...

during the 2018 COPABE Pan-American Championships, helping Team USA win a gold medal. As a senior at Delbarton in 2019, he was named the

Gatorade Player of the Year The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to up and coming high school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys baseball, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls cross country, boys football, boys and girl ...

for the state of

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. At the time of his selection, he was 6–0 with a 0.54 ERA while also batting .364. Leiter was considered a top prospect for the

2019 Major League Baseball draft The 2019 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 3 to 5, 2019. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order was set based on the reverse order of the 2018 MLB season standings. In addition, compensation picks ...

, but due to his strong commitment to

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...

, was not selected until the 20th round by the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

, but did not sign.

College career

He attended

to play

. In his college debut on February 18, 2020, Leiter pitched five no-hit innings while striking out 12, leading Vanderbilt to a 3–0 victory over the

University of South Alabama The University of South Alabama (USA) is a public research university in Mobile, Alabama, United States. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in May 1963 and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alaba ...

. He was named the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...

(SEC) Co-Freshman of the Week following the performance. Over 15 innings, Leiter went 2–0 with a 1.72 ERA before the college baseball season was cancelled due to the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

pandemic. As a redshirt freshman in 2021, Leiter returned as a member of Vanderbilt's starting rotation. On March 20, 2021, he pitched a no-hitter in his SEC debut against South Carolina, compiling sixteen strikeouts. In his next start, he pitched seven no-hit innings against Missouri. He was named the SEC Newcomer of the Year alongside being selected a consensus first-team All-American. He helped lead Vanderbilt to the

2021 College World Series The 2021 College World Series was the final stage of the 2021 NCAA Division I baseball tournament held from June 19–30 at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. This marked the 74th edition of the College World Series and 71st time the event is being held ...

finals and was named to the All-Tournament team. Leiter ended the 2021 season having started 18 games, in which he compiled an 11–4 record, a 2.13 ERA, and 179 strikeouts over 110 innings. He was named the ''

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' (BA) is a sports publication company that covers baseball at every level, including Major League Baseball (MLB), with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) college, high school, and inte ...

'' 2021 Freshman of the Year.

Professional career

Draft and minor leagues

The Texas Rangers chose Leiter with the second overall selection in the

2021 Major League Baseball draft The 2021 Major League Baseball draft took place on July 11–13, 2021. In conjunction with the 2021 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, the draft was held in Denver. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order was s ...

. Leiter signed with Texas on July 28, 2021, receiving a $7.92 million

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

. Leiter attended an organization draftee orientation at the Rangers spring training complex after signing, but did not appear in a professional game in 2021, instead choosing to return to Vanderbilt to continue college course work. Leiter opened the 2022 season with the

Frisco RoughRiders The Frisco RoughRiders (often shortened to 'Riders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. Based in Frisco, Texas, the team is named aft ...

of the Double-A

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

. He made his professional debut on April 9, going three innings while allowing one run and striking out seven batters. He was selected to represent the Rangers at the 2022

All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League- ...

. Over 23 games (22 starts) with Frisco, Leiter went 3–10 with a 5.54 ERA, 56 walks, and 109 strikeouts over innings. He received a non-roster invitation to major league spring training in 2023, and returned to Frisco to open the season. Leiter once again struggled in 2023, including spending almost two months out of game action on the development list. With Frisco, he went 2–6 with a 5.06 ERA and 110 strikeouts over innings. He finished the 2023 season with one start for the

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home ...

of the Triple-A

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

. Leiter returned to Round Rock for the beginning of the 2024 season. After the season, he won the

Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year Award The Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year Award is an annual award given to the best pitcher in Minor League Baseball's Pacific Coast League based on their regular-season performance as voted on by league manager (baseball), managers. Broadcast ...

Texas Rangers (2024–present)

On April 18, 2024, the Texas Rangers selected Leiter’s contract and promoted him to make his major league debut that day against the Detroit Tigers. In his debut game, he allowed eight hits and seven earned runs with three strikeouts in innings to earn a no decision as the Rangers ultimately won against the Tigers 9–7.

Personal life

Leiter's father,

, pitched in MLB for 19 seasons. His uncle,

Mark Leiter Mark Edward Leiter (born April 13, 1963) is an American retired professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, California Angels, San Francisco Giants, Montreal Expos, Philadelp ...

, and his cousin,

Mark Leiter Jr. Mark Edward Leiter Jr. (born March 13, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays, and Chicago Cubs ...

, have also played in MLB. Leiter graduated from Vanderbilt in December 2023 with a degree in human and organizational development.

References

External links

Vanderbilt Commodores bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leiter, Jack 2000 births Living people All-American college baseball players Baseball players from Union County, New Jersey Delbarton School alumni Frisco RoughRiders players Major League Baseball pitchers People from Summit, New Jersey Round Rock Express players Sportspeople from Plantation, Florida Texas Rangers players United States national baseball team players Vanderbilt Commodores baseball players Baseball players from Morris County, New Jersey