Texas Rangers Pitching Prospect Jack Leiter Makes Triple-A Debut

Jack Leiter made his first start for the Round Rock Express as the Texas Rangers' top affiliate makes a playoff push.

Texas Rangers pitching prospect Jack Leiter made his first start at Triple-A Round Rock last weekend as the Express wrapped up their regular season.

The Express will continue playing baseball this week after qualifying for the Pacific Coast League playoffs. So there’s a chance Leiter will get more action with the Express before the minor league season concludes.

The Express play in the PCL Championship series starting Tuesday against Oklahoma City, a former Rangers affiliate that is now part of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ organization.

The Rangers promoted Leiter from Double-A Frisco last week when he bounced back with three solid outings after more than a month on the organization’s developmental list.

First-round pick Wyatt Langford joined Jack Leiter on Triple-A Round Rock / Frisco RoughRiders

Leiter pitched 3 1/3 innings against the Tacoma Rainiers on Saturday, allowing eight hits and three earned runs in a 12-10 Express victory. He took a no-decision. He struck out four and walked two, but also gave up two home runs.

Leiter, the No. 5 prospect in the organization and the team’s first-round pick in 2021, has surged since he rejoined the RoughRiders after two developmental list stints to work on mechanics and to manage a walks issue that has limited his progress.

Since his return, Leiter made four starts with Frisco and limited teams to three or fewer hits in each game. He had a 3.31 ERA with 25 strikeouts and, more importantly, just four walks.

In his last Double-A start against Amarillo, he struck out nine over five innings in a 4-3 win.

The Rangers’ top hitting prospect, Wyatt Langford, was promoted to Round Rock at the same time as Leiter after spending just 12 games at Frisco, where he slashed .405/.519/.762/1.281.

In five games with Round Rock, Langford slashed .368/.538/.526/1.064.

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