Aug 18, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jack Leiter (35) pitches during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Rangers Pitcher Jack Leiter's Solid Stretch Offers Glimpse of Long-Term Potential

Originally posted on Texas Rangers on SI | By Kyle Morton | Last updated Aug 30, 2025 5:00 PM ET

When Texas Rangers right-handed starting pitcher Jack Leiter put together a strong spring training, it looked like he was poised to make good on the potential that many have long believed in. His fastball velocity was up; he was striking hitters out, and he looked ready to make a big impact.

That held true in his first three starts, through which he held an ERA of 2.03, but it fell apart in the month of May. Consecutive disastrous innings ballooned his ERA up to 5.09, and by the end of June, it had settled into the mid-4.00s.

But on July 27, Leiter held the Atlanta Braves to just one earned run over six innings, starting a run of seven starts in which he's held opposing teams to a 2.56 ERA while lowering his own season-long mark to a highly respectable 3.77. Two starts ago, he blanked the Cleveland Guardians over seven innings, and on Friday night, he held an underrated Athletics lineup to two in six frames of work.

Rangers Pitcher Jack Leiter Looks Like Building Block for Future Rotation

Things looked bleak for Leiter after the 2024 campaign. He wasn't showing many of the traits that he flashed at Vanderbilt that made him one of the best pitching prospects in recent memory, and the statistical struggles he went through in the minor leagues came with him to Arlington.

The end result was an 8.83 ERA and 1.71 WHIP acorss nine appearances (six starts) with more earned runs given up (35) than strikeouts recorded (31). It would have been foolish for anyone to totally give up on Leiter based on his first taste of the Big Leagues, but it was fair to adjust expectations down based on what he showed.

Now, it's time to raise those long-term hopes once again. Leiter has stayed mostly healthy through a season in which the Rangers have disappointed, sure, but have never been totally out of the playoff picture. The games he's thrown in have been significant, and a 9-7 record with a 3.77 ERA and 1.31 WHIP for a 25-year-old still figuring things out is nothing to sneeze at.

His strikeout rate has spiked in August, too. It's still under one per inning for the season, but as he puts a bow on the eighth month of the year, he finished with 35 strikeouts in 29.1 innings of work. If he can keep that rate in that neighborhood for the long haul, then it starts to open the conversation back toward Leiter being a legitimate top-of-the-rotation arm in Texas for years to come.