Mark Edward Leiter Jr. (born March 13, 1991) 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

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 ...

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 has previously played in MLB for the

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

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) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

, and

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

. Leiter 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, ...

at the

New Jersey Institute of Technology New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is a Public university, public research university in Newark, New Jersey, United States, with a graduate-degree-granting satellite campus in Jersey City. Founded in 1881 with the support of local indust ...

. He was selected by the Phillies in the 22nd round of the

2013 Major League Baseball draft The 2013 Major League Baseball 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 reverse order of ...

, and made his MLB debut with them in 2017.

Career

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, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as part of the Toms River Regional School ...

Toms River, New Jersey Toms River is a Township (New Jersey), township and coastal town located on the Jersey Shore in Ocean County, New Jersey, Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its mainland United States, mainland portion is also a census-designated ...

and played

at the

Philadelphia Phillies

He was drafted by the

in the 22nd round of the

and signed. He made his professional debut that year with the

GCL Phillies The Florida Complex League Phillies are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Phillies. The team plays i ...

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 locat ...

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, 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 they are named in reference to pig iron, used ...

. 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 Major League Baseball season, 2019 season, it was known as the disabl ...

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 from the disabled list on September 3 and made 8 appearances for Toronto, struggling to a 13.50 ERA with 9 strikeouts across innings. Leiter was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

by the Blue Jays on November 26. He later cleared waivers and was assigned to the Triple–A

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

. On March 17, 2019, the Blue Jays organization announced Leiter would miss the entire season after undergoing

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, sometimes referred to as Tommy John surgery 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 body, ...

. Leiter elected free agency following the season on November 4.

Arizona Diamondbacks

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

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

. He did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

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

Somerset Patriots

On July 9, 2020, Leiter signed with the

Somerset Patriots The Somerset Patriots are an American professional Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team based in Bridgewater, New Jersey. They are the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They compete in the Eastern League (EL), known as the Double-A Nort ...

of the

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

. He did not play in a game for the Patriots due to the cancellation of the 2020 ALPB season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, though he would participate in a pop-up series of games that the team would create called the SOMERSET Professional Baseball Series.

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 club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

organization. Leiter split the 2021 season with the Double-A

Erie SeaWolves The Erie SeaWolves are an American professional baseball team based in Erie, Pennsylvania. They compete in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) as a member of the Eastern League's Southwest Division, serving as the Double-A affiliate of the Detroit Ti ...

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 baseball team nicknamed the ...

. 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. On August 16, Leiter recorded his first career save in a game against the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

. In 35 appearances for Chicago, Leiter registered a 2–7 record and 3.99 ERA with 73 strikeouts in 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 former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago Cubs. Internationally, Hosmer ...

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 (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. T ...

. However, four days later, Leiter rejected the outright assignment and elected free agency. On February 2, Leiter re-signed with the Cubs on a minor league contract. On March 30, the Cubs selected Leiter's contract, adding him to the major league roster. In 69 relief appearances, he logged a 3.50 ERA with 77 strikeouts and four saves across innings pitched. Leiter made 39 appearances out of the

bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if ...

for the Cubs in 2024, compiling a 2–4 record and 4.21 ERA with 53 strikeouts over innings pitched.

New York Yankees

On July 30, 2024, the Cubs traded Leiter Jr. to the

in exchange for infielder Ben Cowles and pitcher Jack Neely.

Personal life

His father,

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 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, is currently a pitcher for the Texas Rangers. Leiter has been a resident of the Lanoka Harbor section of

Lacey Township, New Jersey Lacey Township is a township in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is considered part of the Jersey Shore and South Jersey regions, as well as of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township' ...

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

The Express-Times Founded in 1885, ''The Express-Times'' began as The Easton Daily Express, a daily newspaper based in Easton, Pennsylvania. The newspaper provided national news and extensive local news coverage of the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. ...

'', 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 Ocean County, 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 21st-century American sportsmen Major League Baseball pitchers New York Yankees players 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