Rangers Prospect Stumbles in Final Double-A Start

The organization's No. 1 pitching prospect lost his 10th game and wasn't able to get out of the fifth inning.
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Texas Rangers prospect Jack Leiter’s final start at Double-A Frisco did not have the flourish that he and the organization were hoping for.

The organization’s No. 2 prospect wasn’t able to get out of the fifth inning in a loss to Northwest Arkansas earlier this week, as he took the loss to drop his record to 3-10 with the RoughRiders.

Four of the Rangers’ Top 5 organizational prospects are at Frisco — outfielder Evan Carter (No. 3), pitcher Owen White (No. 4) and second baseman Justin Foscue (No. 5).

The RoughRiders are wrapping up their season at Northwest Arkansas this week. Leiter has pitched once a week this season, so it’s highly unlikely he’ll pitch again. He could, theoretically, be promoted to Triple-A Round Rock, which plays games until the end of the month, if the Rangers wanted him to make another start.

Leiter gave up five hits and five runs (all earned) in the contest, as he walked six and struck out four. He made only two starts in August and ended up with an 8.31 ERA for the month.

The only Rangers prospect listed ahead of Leiter, according to MLB.com, is third baseman Josh Jung, who was called up to the Majors last week and homered in his first Major League at-bat.

Leiter was the Rangers’ first-round pick in 2021 (No. 2 overall).

For the season, Leiter pitched in 23 games and made 22 starts. He threw 92 2/3 innings and gave up 69 runs (57 earned) and 88 hits. He’s walked 56 and struck out 109. He’s gave up 11 home runs and had a 5.54 ERA.


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Matthew Postins
MATTHEW POSTINS

Matthew Postins is an award-winning sports journalist who covers the Texas Rangers for Fan Nation/SI and also writes about the Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies. He also covers the Big 12 for HeartlandCollegeSports.com.