Rangers Get Intriguing Jack Leiter Update on Wednesday
With Texas eyeing a return to the postseason, this would be the perfect time for prospect Jack Leiter to be called up as a reinforcement down the stretch. After all, an accelerated path to the majors was among the range of outcomes after the Rangers selected the Vanderbilt product No. 2 overall in 2021.
Instead, the only dream fans have right now is Leiter playing any kind of baseball after he was placed on the developmental list following struggles in the minor leagues.
Many are itching to know when he'll be back. Though the timeline is still unknown, Wednesday brought with it an intriguing update on the righty.
Jack Leiter is currently throwing live BP at Globe Life Field. He’s faced Brad Miller and Austin Hedges.
— kennedi landry (@kennlandry) August 16, 2023
MLB.com's Kennedi Landry reported pregame that Leiter was throwing live BP before Texas' contest against the Angels. A team spokeperson added later on that this was part of the team's ongoing biomechanical research on the prized prospect.
The way I understand it -- per a team spokesperson -- Leiter was just throwing in Arlington so the Rangers could gather some biomechanical data with the technology here.
— kennedi landry (@kennlandry) August 16, 2023
His timetable is still to be determined.
Seeing Leiter in action in any way sure got fans buzzing. Seeing him around the MLB team only further added to the frenzy, but it seems this is just a part of the organization's evaluation process. Though that's disappointing, it's still great to see Leiter's not completely shut down from baseball activity.
Getting Leiter back on track is one of the Rangers' main focuses right now after his struggles to begin his career. The team's experimented in a variety of ways to maximize his potential, including even dictating which pitches he should be throwing, to little luck so far.
Many hoped he'd start to turn things around after his first full year in the minors. However, he played poorly again in 2023, recording a 5.51 ERA across 15 starts. The former top pick spent some time on the developmental list earlier this season, too, before two more horrid outings landed him right back on the bench.
We all know Leiter has the tools to be the next great Rangers ace, so there's no reason to give up on him. Though an MLB debut is now a long-term goal for the pitcher, rather than anything that looks realistic in the short term, hopefully these trials will ensure he becomes the best player he can be for Texas.
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