Mark Leiter Jr. (born March 13, 1991) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("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, who attempts to e ...

in the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

organization. He previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

(MLB) for the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has been Citize ...

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

and

Career

Philadelphia Phillies

Leiter attended

Toms River High School North Toms River High School North is a four-year comprehensive public high school, and was the second public high school established in Toms River, in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Toms River Regional Schools. Tom ...

Toms River, New Jersey Toms River is a township in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. Its mainland portion is also a census-designated place of the same name, which serves as the county seat of Ocean County.college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

at the

New Jersey Institute of Technology {{Infobox university , name = {{nowrap, New Jersey Institute of Technology , image = New Jersey IT seal.svg , image_upright = 0.9 , former_names = Newark College of Engineering (1930–1975)Ne ...

. He was drafted by the

in the 22nd round of the

2013 Major League Baseball draft The 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in ...

and signed. He made his professional debut that year with the GCL Phillies and he was promoted to the

Clearwater Threshers The Clearwater Threshers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Clearwater, Florida, and have played their home games at BayCare Ballpark since 20 ...

and

Lakewood BlueClaws The Jersey Shore BlueClaws (formerly Lakewood BlueClaws) are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Lakewood, New Jersey, and are named for their locati ...

during the season. In 45 innings pitched between the three teams, he was 4–0 with a 1.20 ERA. In 2014, he played for Lakewood and Clearwater, compiling a combined 9–12 record and 4.35 ERA in 27 total starts, and in 2015, he pitched with Clearwater and the

Reading Fighting Phils The Reading Fightin Phils (also called the Reading Fightins) are a Minor League Baseball team based in Reading, Pennsylvania, playing in the Northeast Division of the Eastern League. The team plays their home games at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Re ...

, going 8–7 with a 3.09 ERA in 27 games (21 starts). Leiter spent 2016 with Reading where he pitched to a 6–3 record and 3.39 ERA in 23 games (17 starts). He began 2017 with the

Lehigh Valley IronPigs The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and are named in reference to pig iron, used in th ...

. Leiter was called up to the Major Leagues for the first time on April 18, 2017, making his debut on April 28. He finished his rookie season with a 3–6 record and a 4.96 ERA with 84 strikeouts over 27 appearances (11 starts). He began 2018 on the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

and was optioned to Lehigh Valley after he was activated.

Toronto Blue Jays

On September 1, 2018, Leiter was claimed off waivers by the

. He was activated on September 3, and designated for assignment on November 26. He later cleared waivers and was assigned to Triple-A Buffalo. On March 17, 2019, the Blue Jays organization announced Leiter would miss the entire season after undergoing

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, colloquially known as Tommy John surgery (TJS), is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's ...

. Leiter elected free agency after the season.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On February 13, 2020, Leiter signed a minor league deal with the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. ...

. Leiter was released by the Diamondbacks organization on May 22, 2020.

Somerset Patriots

Leiter signed with the

Somerset Patriots The Somerset Patriots are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Bridgewater Township, New Jersey, that is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They compete in the Eastern League, known as the Double-A Northeast in 2021, an ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

for the 2020 season. Leiter did not play in a game for the Patriots due to the cancellation of the 2020 ALPB season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

Detroit Tigers

On March 24, 2021, Leiter signed a minor league contract with the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

organization. Leiter split the 2021 season with the Double-A Erie SeaWolves and the Triple-A

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played ...

. He made 25 appearances, going 10–8 with a 3.77 ERA and 145 strikeouts. He became a free agent following the season.

Chicago Cubs

On December 17, 2021, Leiter signed a minor league contract with the

. On April 16, 2022, Leiter's contract was selected by the Cubs. In 35 appearances for Chicago, Leiter registered a 2–7 record and 3.99 ERA with 73 strikeouts in 67.2 innings pitched. On January 13, 2023, Leiter was designated for assignment by Chicago after the signing of

Eric Hosmer Eric John Hosmer (born October 24, 1989) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres, and the Boston Red Sox ...

was made official. On January 19, Leiter cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple-A

Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. The Cubs play their ho ...

Personal life

His father, Mark Leiter, and uncle,

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 ...

, pitched in the major leagues. His cousin

Jack Leiter Jack Thomas Leiter (born April 21, 2000) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Texas Rangers organization. He played college baseball for the Vanderbilt Commodores and was selected by the Rangers with the second overall pick of the ...

was drafted by the Texas Rangers in 2021. Leiter has been a resident of the Lanoka Harbor section of

Lacey Township, New Jersey Lacey Township is a township in Ocean County, New Jersey and is considered part of the Jersey Shore and South Jersey regions. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 27,644, reflecting an increase of 2,298 (+9.1%) fr ...

.Joyce, Greg
"Mark Leiter Jr. gets surprise call from IronPigs to Phillies"
''

The Express-Times ''The Express-Times'' is a daily newspaper based in Easton, Pennsylvania. The newspaper provides national news and extensive local news coverage of the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855, ''The Express-Times'' is the lon ...

'', April 19, 2017. Accessed May 10, 2017. "The Lanoka Harbor, N.J. resident split 2015 between Reading and High-A Clearwater – both starting and relieving – after splitting 2014 between Clearwater and Low-A Lakewood, only starting."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Leiter, Mark 1991 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada Baseball players from Fort Lauderdale, Florida Baseball players from New Jersey Chicago Cubs players Clearwater Threshers players Erie SeaWolves players Florida Complex League Phillies players Iowa Cubs players Lakewood BlueClaws players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players Major League Baseball pitchers Philadelphia Phillies players Reading Fightin Phils players Sportspeople from Lacey Township, New Jersey Sportspeople from Toms River, New Jersey Toledo Mud Hens players Toms River High School North alumni Toronto Blue Jays players