Texas Rangers Prospect RHP Jack Leiter Promoted to Round Rock

Leiter Slated to Start Tonight in Tacoma as Express Continue Chase for the Playoffs

September 23, 2023

ROUND ROCK, Texas –The Texas Rangers announced RHP Jack Leiter was promoted from the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders to the Triple-A Round Rock Express on Saturday afternoon. The righty is scheduled to start tonight against the Tacoma Rainiers (Seattle Mariners affiliate) at 8:05 p.m. CT from Cheney Stadium in Tacoma, Washington.

ROUND ROCK, Texas –The Texas Rangers announced RHP Jack Leiter was promoted from the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders to the Triple-A Round Rock Express on Saturday afternoon. The righty is scheduled to start tonight against the Tacoma Rainiers (Seattle Mariners affiliate) at 8:05 p.m. CT from Cheney Stadium in Tacoma, Washington. Leiter will get the baseball as the Express are tied for first place with only two games remaining.

Leiter was the second overall selection by the Rangers in the 2021 MLB Draft and is currently listed as the No. 5 prospect in the organization, according to MLB.com.

In his last three starts at Double-A Frisco, he posted a 3.38 ERA (5 ER/13.1 IP) with only four walks and 21 strikeouts. In 81.2 innings this year for the RoughRiders, he has recorded 110 strikeouts, which is tied for the most on the team. The right-hander struck out 31.1 percent of the batters he faced.

In May of this year, Leiter went 2-1 with a 1.67 ERA (5 ER/27.0 IP) with 13 walks and 33 strikeouts. In 2022, he was named to the Sirius XM All-Star Futures Game in Los Angeles. The last two seasons at Frisco, he posted 219 strikeouts in only 174.1 innings. He began his professional career at Double-A in 2022 and finished his rookie season by winning a Texas League Championship with the RoughRiders.

Leiter pitched two seasons at Vanderbilt University before he was drafted by Texas. He went 13-4 with a 2.08 ERA over 22 games and 21 starts for the Commodores. He was a finalist for the 2021 Golden Spikes Award as he helped Vanderbilt reach the 2021 College World Series Finals in Omaha. The New Jersey native attended high school at Delbarton School in Morristown and in 2019 was named the New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year.

Tacoma LHP Logan Allen (6-1, 5.33) will oppose Leiter tonight as the E-Train seek their first playoff berth since 2019. After Reno beat Las Vegas on Friday, the Aces and Express remain tied for first place in the Pacific Coast League second half standings. Las Vegas and Tacoma are now eliminated from contention. Round Rock can get into the playoffs with two wins AND one Reno loss. They can also clinch with one win AND two Reno losses.

For more information about the Express, visit RRExpress.com or call (512) 255-2255. Subscribe to the E-Train email newsletter and keep up with the Express on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!