Parents didn’t push Rangers top pick Jack Leiter down his All-Star father’s path

Jack Leiter, the newest Texas Ranger, wasn’t always set on being a pitcher.

At least his famous father, 19-year MLB veteran left-hander Al Leiter, wasn’t pushing his son to follow in his footsteps.

Jack Leiter, who the Rangers selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the MLB Draft on Sunday evening, finally dedicated himself to the pitcher’s mound as a high school player in New Jersey. And it certainly appeared to work out after dominating at Vanderbilt for two seasons, although the 2020 campaign was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Leiter is one of six pitchers the Rangers selected with their first 10 picks in the first 10 rounds of the draft, including rounds two through nine that were held Monday afternoon. The final round will be held Tuesday.

“It’s really hard to put into words. I’m just so happy I was able to have my family and friends here to celebrate with,” Jack Leiter told MLB Network moments after being drafted.

The right-hander was encouraged by his parents, including mother Lori, to always have fun playing the game. Instead of making sure their son was playing on ultra select teams with an eye towards drawing interests from college and pro recruiters, he played on less competitive travel teams.

“The No. 1 thing was to have fun with it,” said Leiter, 21. “It is a team sport. My mom was the same exact way, just enjoy it as much as possible.”

Texas Rangers 2021 draft picks

This story was originally published July 12, 2021 at 4:35 PM.

Stefan Stevenson

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Stefan Stevenson was a sports writer for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram from 1997 to 2022. He covered TCU athletics, the Texas Rangers and the Dallas Cowboys.