Jack Leiter finally looks like the guy the Rangers wanted when they drafted him

When the Texas Rangers selected Jack Leiter with the second-overall pick of the 2021 draft, expectations were sky-high. Born into a family of baseball royalty, he had the bloodlines. A projected first-round pick coming out of high school, he had the talent. Going on to dominate for a year at an SEC power in Vanderbilt, he had the experience. But as a member of the Rangers, Leiter has had production to back up the pedigree.

His performance has been a bitter tease and sore disappointment for Rangers fans. Inefficiency and a lack of feel have marred the 26-year-old's career thus far. His performance in 2026 has mostly been a step back from any signs of growth he showed in 2026.

Leiter has been far from the only concern in Texas's rotation. The unit has been decent overall, coming in with a 3.98 ERA that ranks 11th in the MLB, but given the level of investment the club has put into the starting staff, the results have been disappointing.

Big money contracts, dealing a treasure trove of prospects, and investing extremely high first-round picks bring expectations, and those haven't been met. Leiter has been, perhaps, the biggest offender in that regard.

Leiter entered his last start on May 31 against the Kansas City Royals with a 4.75 ERA. He hadn't gotten the job done. Then he twirled a 5 2/3 inning three-hit gem, that saw him give up zero runs while striking out 10. It's the kind of performance we've been waiting for out of him, and one we're hoping could be a turning point.

Rangers will look to Jack Leiter to build on his stellar outing as they try to climb into playoff position by the trade deadline

Prior to Leiter's last start, Skip Schumaker had some words to describe where Leiter is in his development that could prove to be prophetic.

“Pitching is not just throwing it by guys like he was able to do, probably his whole college career, and a little bit in the Minors,” the Rangers' manager said, via Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. “[Nathan Eovaldi] has transitioned from that type of pitcher early in his career to like he pitches now. He knows how to pitch. He knows how to get guys out in different ways. It's not just ‘I have 98 and here comes,’ although he has the ability to do that. … That’s Jack’s next step.”

The Eovaldi comparison is a fantastic one. Flaherty doesn't lack velocity, with an average fastball velo coming in at 97.1 miles per hour on the season. Eovaldi, too, regularly sat in the upper-90s and touched triple digits as a young starter with the Florida Marlins and New York Yankees, yet success eluded him.

Eovaldi evolved into a pitcher who could mix his offerings, play with eye levels, change speeds and locations, and simply get outs, without having to blow the ball past every hitter.

Leiter began to do that against the Royals. While he threw 50% fastballs, he mixed in five other offerings with his slider and changeup leading the way. Changing speeds, eye levels, and locations is done just like that with those three offerings, and, as he controlled the zone, it's why Leiter was able to be so dominant.

The Rangers will need more. The cavalry is coming off the IL, and there are exactly 100 games left for Texas to make its run. Tonight's start against the Cleveland Guardians at home will tell us a lot. If Leiter executes and mixes and matches as he did last time out, we'll have a trend we can hang our hats on. If not, it will be just another example of his frustratingly inconsistent performances.

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