Texas Rangers Former Star Prospect Has Had Unceremonious Fall From Grace

The Texas Rangers have undergone a bit of a youth movement over the last few seasons with some of their top prospects being elevated to the Major League level.

Outfielder Wyatt Langford, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 MLB June Amateur Draft, was in the Opening Day lineup last year. Evan Carter, another outfielder and a second-round pick in 2020, made his MLB debut in 2023.

Josh Jung, a first-round pick in 2019, made his debut in 2022 and was an All-Star in 2023, but battled injuries in 2024. Ezequiel Duran, Josh Smith and Leody Tavares are a few more youngsters with upside the team will be relying on as the foundation of their lineup for years to come.

Now, the Rangers are hoping that they can find the same kind of foundation with their pitching staff, as several youngsters are ready to make an impact on the mound.

One player that people will be keeping a close eye on is Jack Leiter, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 MLB June Amateur Draft.

In his first year eligible for the top prospects list, he skyrocketed up the rankings, landing as high as No. 26. He went right to Double-A, where he experienced some difficulty with a 5.54 ERA across 92.2 innings.

That resulted in him being dropped down several prospect lists, barely holding onto a spot in the top 100. It looked as if that was an appropriate move, as his production didn’t improve in 2023.

Leiter made 20 starts, 19 at Double-A and one at Triple-A, pitching 85 innings and recording an ERA of 5.19.

Ahead of the 2024 campaign, he was left off prospect lists altogether. But, his production made a turn for the better.

In 17 appearances in Triple-A with 16 starts, he had a 3.51 ERA across 77 innings with 110 strikeouts. He was eventually promoted to make his MLB debut and all of the positive momentum he built was destroyed.

Opponents teed off on him, as he made nine appearances, six starts and tossed 35.2 innings, recording a ghastly 8.83 ERA. His walk and strikeout rates were both well below average and he was hit hard, with an average exit velocity of 90.4 MPH and a hard hit percentage of 45.0%.

Given the ugly debut, it isn’t much of a surprise that Leiter has been left off top prospect lists ahead of 2025 despite retaining his rookie status.

Texas isn’t about to give up on him, as he will have a chance to earn a spot in the starting rotation on Opening Day. But, the team does have several options they can turn to, so he will have to perform at a higher level than he has over the course of his professional career.

Can he regain the form that led to him being selected so high and being ranked amongst the best prospects in the game?

It will be one of the biggest Rangers storylines to keep an eye on during Spring Training.