Inside The Rangers

Texas Rangers Top Prospects Make Opening Day, Reunited After 2021 Championship Run

The Texas Rangers have finalized their Opening Day starting rotation.

Cameron Zunkel

Sep 26, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Texas Rangers pitcher Jack Leiter (35) throws a pitch during the ninth inning against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.
Sep 26, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Texas Rangers pitcher Jack Leiter (35) throws a pitch during the ninth inning against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. / Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images
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The Texas Rangers have made their final decisions on the starting rotation heading into Opening Day on March 27.

Three starters were already set in stone, so it was just two spots left for manager Bruce Bochy to decide on. Nathan Eovaldi will start Opening Day for the Rangers. Tyler Mahle and Jacob deGrom will also be in the rotation.

The final two spots will go to a pair of college teammates and top prospects in Texas' organization.

Per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker will be on the roster.

Both pitchers will slot into the starting rotation, as well.

Jon Gray and Cody Bradford are starting the year on the IL, which is why there are spots open for Leiter and Rocker.

Per Kennedi Landry of MLB.com, the first five games of the season will not be the order many expect.

Leiter starting Game 2 comes down to proper rest.

deGrom is one of the better pitchers on the team. But with his injury history and the Rangers wanting him to get as much rest as possible, he will be the Game 4 starter.

The Vanderbilt teammates won the 2021 National Championship together and they are now back in the same rotation.

Both Leiter and Rocker have had respectable springs, so the hope is they can carry that into the regular season. If the two righties pitch to their potential, Texas could possibly have one of the better starting rotations in the MLB.

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Cameron Zunkel
CAMERON ZUNKEL

Cameron Zunkel is a sports writer from the western suburbs of Chicago. He played Division-II baseball at the University of Illinois at Springfield where he earned a masters degree in Communication. Cameron also played independent league baseball for the Joliet Slammers and Schaumburg Boomers of the Frontier League. He has been in journalism for the better part of two years now, and has a passion for baseball specifically. His other work includes writing sports betting articles for ClutchPoints. In his free time, you can catch Cam at the gym, on the golf course, or coaching the youth in the beautiful sport of baseball.

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