Rangers Select RHP Jack Leiter With No. 2 Pick In MLB Draft

The Texas Rangers bolstered their farm system, drafting Jack Leiter out of Vanderbilt University with the No. 2 pick in the MLB Draft.

With the second overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, the Texas Rangers selected RHP Jack Leiter out of Vanderbilt University.

Leiter, 21, went 11-4 with a 2.13 ERA over 18 starts, averaging 14.6 strikeouts per nine innings with a 0.85 WHIP in his sophomore season. He held opponents to a .129/.242/.250/.492 slash line with 179 strikeouts and 45 walks over 110 innings.

Leiter, the son of former big league pitcher Al Leiter, was the winning pitcher in the Commodores’ only victory in the 2021 College World Series Finals. Vanderbilt defeated Mississippi State by a score of 8-2 in Game 1 on June 28, giving up two runs on three hits with eight strikeouts and three walks in six innings. 

The most dominant streak of the season was a streak of 20 consecutive hitless innings from March 20 through April 2. Among that streak was a no-hitter on March 20 against South Carolina and seven no-hit innings on March 26 at Missouri.

The Rangers have now selected a college player with the club’s first overall pick for three straight years. The Rangers selected third baseman Josh Jung with the eighth overall in 2019 out of Texas Tech University and second baseman Justin Foscue with the 14th overall pick in 2020 out of Mississippi State University. 

Leiter is the first pitcher selected by the Rangers with the club’s first overall pick since RHP Cole Winn was selected 15th overall in 2018.

More on SI's Inside The Rangers:

• 'Major League Massacre' Stopped Before All-Star Game in Denver
• Joey Gallo Happy To Do Home Run Derby In Rangers Uniform
• Rangers Draft Central: Everything You Need To Know Before Texas Picks No. 2 Overall

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