The Rangers have the wrong Vandy boy working out of the rotation

Chis Young and the rest of the Texas Rangers organization knew what they were doing when they selected Vanderbilt Commodores teammates Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker consecutively in the MLB draft several years ago.

They were fostering a friendly and familiar competition that would benefit both as they went through the rigors of becoming an effective starting pitcher at the major league level.

Each has had an up and down season, but as the team tries desperately to keep its head above water, is the apparent commitment to Leiter being in the starting rotation coming at the cost of Kumar Rocker's development?

Jack Leiter progress this season has been choppy, at best

Watching Jack Leiter pitch can be frustrating at times. You can tell he wants to be like a sponge, soaking up all the tricks of the trade from guys like Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi. Unfortunately, he has picked up some bad habits trying to emulate these Cy Young-caliber hurlers.

Leiter has struggled putting hitters away all season and his body language on the mound feels like he believes he should execute every pitch to perfection. Or, at the very least, closer to what deGrom and Eovaldi do.

The arm is electric, but he isn't anywhere near as tactical and efficient as the other two. His high pitch counts in the last several starts indicate that he has much to learn about the mental approach to finishing off hitters.

Giving Kumar Rocker more starts could be better in the long run for the Texas Rangers

The Rangers have nearly played their way out of the playoffs this year. Why not switch out Leiter and go with Rocker for the final 35 games and let the big right-hander throw some more high-leverage innings against major league hitters?

If Leiter is going to continue to need 85 pitches to get through four innings, it will begin to wear on him physically and mentally.

Seeing Rocker out there for four or five more starts polishing his approach will behoove both of them, as Jack looks spent and has nothing left to prove this season, while Kumar could use the experience.

If talk is going to start being bandied about who should be shut down as the Rangers fade, then switch out the Commodores and let both prospects develop simultaneously. At this point, there is no frontrunner to stick for the long haul.