Has Jose Leclerc Found “It” Once Again for the Texas Rangers?

Jose Leclerc seems to have found his stride once again and is close to stepping back into the Texas Rangers closing role.

Texas Rangers manager Chris Woodward made comments on Sunday that Jose Leclerc was close to returning as the Texas Rangers closer and all the evidence points to Leclerc having found his stride once again.

The 25-year old flamethrower put up exceptional numbers in 2018 landing him the title of Texas Rangers closer and earning him a nice extension this offseason. The 2019 season has been another story however with Leclerc struggling to find the strike zone and giving up hits left and right. This pronounced struggle from somebody who was supposed to be one of just a couple of “locks” in the bullpen led to Leclerc being taken out of the closer role while he regains his form.

Between March and April, Leclerc appeared in 13 games for the Rangers and looked a shell of his 2019 self. Opponents hit .318 against the right-hander with an OPS of 1.055 and shot his WHIP to an astonishing 2.156. His ERA of 8.44 for the first month was one of the worst stretches in his career with fans concerned that he was “broken” and possibly beyond repair.

Chris Woodward stepped in and opted to let Leclerc work his way back to closing while staying in Arlington. Leclerc was used in lower leverage relief situations and even started a game as an opener while he worked mostly on regaining the command of his fastball.

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In the month of May, where Leclerc has seen his bit of “rebuilding” in season, Leclerc looks as good if not better than the young star we saw in 2018. Leclerc has made 7 appearances this month, 1 of which was as an opener and 1 of which saw him finish a game. He’s been dominant allowing an opponent’s batting average of just .036 and a .192 opponents OPS. He’s racked up 16 strikeouts, more than his March/April total while walking just 4 hitters. He’s allowed just a single earned run in his 9 innings of work along with just 1 hit. He’s been as unhittable as it gets, which is why his return to the closing role is imminent.

Leclerc seems to have found the command on his fastball which was his main problem early in the season. Once he lost that feel for the heater, his overall confidence on the mound waned visibly. This is a big development for a Texas team that needs all the quality pitching it can get. Right now, they have the most potent offense in the whole of Major League Baseball, but a combined team ERA of over 5.00 is holding the club back. They currently sit at 24-23 and are in 2nd place in the AL West, which is far above initial expectations for the 2019 season.

Additionally, Leclerc seemed poised to be a cornerstone of the club moving forward and having him back in full gear will surely be a relief to Jon Daniels, the organization and the fan base.