Not only will he have a chance to be in the rotation, but the Texas Rangers believe Jack Leiter can take a huge step forward this season.
When the Texas Rangers drafted Jack Leiter with the third overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, many thought he would have a huge impact on the big-league team at this point.
Leiter’s path through the minor leagues wasn’t exactly what many expected. At times, Leiter struggled in the Rangers' farm system, leading many to question his organizational impact.
Even when Leiter touched the big-league level in 2024, he didn’t exactly do too much to dispel those notions.
In 2024, Leiter made nine appearances in the big leagues, six of which were starts and none of which really went his way.
Leiter posted an ERA of 8.83 and a WAR of -1.6 in 35.2 innings in what ended up being a very sour cup of coffee at the big league level.
However, that sour taste didn’t last too long for Leiter as he battled and ended up breaking camp with the team in 2025.
Not only did Leiter start in in MLB, he ended there and made every start in between there in a breakthrough point in his career.
Just staying in the majors for an entire season was huge for Leiter, but the successes that he had were even bigger.
Leiter posted a 3.86 ERA in 29 starts and established himself as a key part of the Rangers' rotation moving forward.
It’s an all but formality that Leiter will slide into the fourth spot of the starting rotation behind Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, and MacKenzie Gore as Spring Training begins in 2026.
Not only will he have a chance to be in the rotation, but the Rangers believe Leiter can take a huge step forward this season.
There’s no doubt that being able to learn from the likes of deGrom and Eovaldi over the last year has been huge for a young starter like Leiter.
Now, Leiter has the chance to take a step and put himself right amongst them as an elite arm in this Rangers rotation.
Texas features a rotation that will certainly have to be the strength of the team if it wants to return to the postseason for the first time since winning it all in 2023.
Last season, the Rangers featured the best starting rotation in all of baseball, and there is no reason why the same can’t be the case once again in 2026.
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