Jack Leiter may have just arrived in full force.
The Rangers right-handed starting pitcher had already made his MLB debut, but getting the ball in the second Texas game of the season was an amplified role for the former No. 2 overall pick out of Vanderbilt.
Al Leiter’s son delivered, striking out four batters in five one-run innings to shut down the Boston Red Sox in a Rangers win on Friday night.
A few aspects to Leiter’s start really caught our eye:
Fastball velocity
Jack Leiter’s fastball averaged 1.4 miles per hour more on Friday night than he did last season.
One look at the Baseball Savant velocity tables for Leiter’s outing tells the story.
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Leiter touched 99 twice, was between 98-98.9 another 14 times and another 20 pitches between 97-97.9.
For the most part, Boston couldn’t touch the heater. It had late zip to it on the back of its incredible velocity. He got six whiffs out of 17 swings against the fastball.
Maybe it was opening-night adrenaline, but it looks like Leiter might be stronger and ready to blow batters away all season.
Jack Leiter, 99mph ⛽️ pic.twitter.com/rcAAHTo748
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 29, 2025
Slider separation
Just as difficult as Leiter’s fastball was the fact that his slider had a 10-mph drop-off from the heater.
It was still a sharp pitch, just a decent chunk slower. That meant any hitter gearing up for the fastball had a tough time sitting back to stay through the tight slider.
Boston hitters mostly didn’t even try to hit the slider, but of their four swings against it, two were whiffs.
New pitches
Leiter threw a new variety of fastball on Friday, too, breaking out an altered sinker.
And Leiter’s changeup is totally different, up 2.1 miles per hour from last season.
It’s too early to know yet how these offerings will develop, but Leiter’s confidence in throwing a bit of everything in his season debut is a great sign.
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