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Rangers Young Star Jack Leiter Lands in Interesting Spot in Top 50 Rookies List

Originally posted on Texas Rangers on SI | By Brad Wakai | Last updated Oct 7, 2025 8:00 PM ET

Coming into the season, the Texas Rangers knew they were going to attempt to meld some of their young pieces with the current stars on their MLB roster.

That was the case when it came to both their position players and pitching staff, as Wyatt Langford and Evan Carter were seen as future stars who would take the next steps in the outfield, while Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker would fill out the rotation behind Nathan Eovaldi and Jacob deGrom.

When it came to that quartet, it was really only Langford who lived up to the hype, as he turned in an incredible year and looks like he is going to be one of the faces of the franchise going forward. However, despite the highs and lows Leiter had throughout the season, he showed signs of being a potential ace down the line. And that earned him a spot on Bleacher Report's Top 50 Rookies list.

Where Did Jack Leiter Land on Top 50 Rookies List?

Leiter came in at No. 17, a spot that had him behind seven other rookie pitchers.

Considering the pedigree he had coming into his professional career as the second overall pick in the 2021 draft, landing there is likely disappointing for both Leiter and the Rangers. He was supposed to be an immediate impact pitcher because of his time at Vanderbilt, but he had some growing pains.

Still, he finished with a 3.86 ERA across 29 starts. While his ERA+ was five points below the league average and he struck out less than a batter per frame with 148 K's across 151 2/3 innings pitched, he showed some major signs of improvement as the season wore on.

"The No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft has not taken the fast track to stardom many were expecting, but he now looks like a long-term rotation piece," wrote Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report.

Jack Leiter finishes his first full big league season with a 3.86 ERA! https://t.co/DTqYRIeJBj pic.twitter.com/rUfYtjsu4p
— MLB (@MLB) September 27, 2025

At 25 years old, this offseason is important for Leiter if he's going to become the elite ace he was projected to be coming out of college and when he was climbing up the pipeline. He has to work on his strikeout stuff to ring up big league hitters consistently, and his command has to improve.

With a K/9 ratio of 8.8 and a walk rate that is above the league average, that will need to get fixed. The good news is he's shown an ability to be a high strikeout guy in the minors with 337 K's across 259 1/3 innings pitched. But he's always had a hard time keeping people off the base paths with a WHIP of 1.42.

All in all, it wasn't a terrible showing for Leiter this season. While he had plenty of ups and downs throughout his rookie campaign, he was able to do enough to land at No. 17 on that list. But for him to live up to the hype, a major leap will be needed by the young right-hander in 2026.