Texas Rangers select Vandy pitcher Jack Leiter with highest pick since ’74 MLB Draft
After three years of infielders, the Texas Rangers went back to the mound.
The Rangers selected Vanderbilt right-hander Jack Leiter with the No. 2 overall pick in the MLB Draft Sunday night.
Leiter, the son of two-time All-Star pitcher Al Leiter, was dominating in two seasons with the Commodores. He was 11-4 with with a 2.13 ERA and struck out 179 in 110 innings last season. The slotted value for the second pick is $7,789,900.
“I haven’t come across too many kids like him in my 29 years of scouting. He’s a special kid, a special talent,” said the Rangers’ director of amateur scouting Kip Fagg, who Leiter atop his prospect lists for several months. “He’s a unique guy. The fastball plays better than any fastball in all my years of scouting.”
The Pittsburgh Pirates had the first overall pick, and with it selected Louisville catcher Henry Davis. Rangers first-year general manager Chris Young said they learned the Pirates were going to take Davis about 20 minutes ahead of the annoucement.
“Jack is someone we zeroed in on for a while,” Young said. “’He was the best pitcher in college baseball in our opinion. He fits everything we are looking for, he embodies everything we want in terms of culture. Comes from a great family. It’s a great night for our organization and a great night for the Leiter family.”
Young said the team “fully expects” to sign Leiter. “We wouldn’t have taken him if we didn’t,” Young said.
Leiter, 21, is the Rangers’ highest pick since they selected right-handed pitcher Tommy Boggs out of Austin Lanier with the No. 2 pick in 1974. That was a year after taking left-hander David Clyde out of Houston’s Westchester High School with the No. 1 overall pick.
Leiter is the first college pitcher taken with the Rangers’ top pick since Dillon Tate was selected with fourth overall in 2015. Leiter is listed as 6-foot-1, 205 pounds. Cole Winn was the last pitcher overall (high school or college) the Rangers selected in the first round. Winn was taken with the No. 15 pick in 2018.
Coming out of high school in 2019, Leiter chose to attend Vanderbilt despite first-round potential. The New York Yankees selected him in the 20th round that year, knowing he wasn’t likely to sign. He was born in Plantation, Fla., but grew up in Morristown, N.J., and attended Delbarton High School.
He features a “lively fastball” that has been clocked at 100 mph this year and has both a plus curveball and a “devastating slider” according to a prospect preview from MLB.com.
His draft stock continued to rise after he no-hit South Carolina on March 20 while striking out 16. He held Missouri hitless over seven innings in his next start while putting together a stretch of 20 consecutive innings without allowing a hit. He didn’t allow a run over 25 consecutive innings.
Since 2000, the Rangers top pick has been a pitcher 13 times, an infielder six times and an outfielder four times.
The draft continues with rounds 2-10 beginning at noon Monday and rounds 11-20 beginning at 11 a.m. Tuesday. The Rangers have the second pick in all 20 rounds.
Rangers fall to A’s 4-1
Kolby Allard (2-6) gave up four solo home runs Sunday as the Texas Rangers lost 4-1 to the Oakland Athletics at Globe Life Field in Arlington.
Joey Gallo, who has hit 11 home runs in his past 12 games and 24 this season, took Sunday off heading into Monday’s Home Run Derby in Denver.
The Rangers finished 2-4 on their six-game homestand leading into the All-Star break. Texas opens a season-long 10-game road trip Friday in Buffalo, New York, against Toronto.
This story was originally published July 11, 2021 at 6:24 PM.
