Rangers' Jack Leiter is making MLB hitters look silly so far in 2026

[ASFN Admin]

You must be registered for see images attach

Rangers' Jack Leiter is making MLB hitters look silly so far in 2026 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

There was a point, when Jack Leiter was at Vanderbilt, that it seemed a sure thing he'd eventually be one of the best pitchers on the planet.

Then there was a point, in the Texas Rangers' minor league system, that it seemed a question whether he'd even make it as a regular MLB starting pitcher.

The pendulum has swung back in the first direction. So far in 2026, Leiter has been absolutely dominant.

It's early, but the trend line has pointed back upward in the past couple years for Leiter as he has now ascended to impressive heights.

MORE: Aaron Judge's case as the greatest right-handed hitter of all time

One stat shines incredibly bright so far this season: Opposing hitters are whiffing against Leiter 45.3% of the time.

Yep, on nearly half the pitches Leiter throws that get swung at, the batter swings-and-misses. It'd be hard to do any better than that.

"Leiter has been firmly established in the baseball lexicon since his collegiate days at Vanderbilt, making his early-season breakout so fun to watch," MLB.com's Brent Maguire wrote as part of a new article on Thursday. "In his first two starts, Leiter has allowed three runs, while running an absurd 17-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Leiter is generating whiffs on a whopping 45.3 percent of swings (98th percentile), he's shaved his walk rate by nearly six percent and boosted his chase rate by almost 10 percent. With a diverse six-pitch mix, excellent stuff and newfound command, Leiter looks like he’s coming into his own."

MORE: Yankees outfielder once battled ostrich in 11-plate spaghetti-eating contest

The Rangers have an excellent top of the rotation with veterans Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi.

They've got the traded-for MacKenzie Gore.

And then they've got the Vandy guys, Leiter and Kumar Rocker.

A deep pitching rotation can go a long way in a division race and into a postseason. If Leiter keeps pitching like this, the Rangers have one of the best staffs in baseball.

More MLB news:​

• Explaining the absurdity of 2 MLB players named Max Muncy
• He almost retired, but instead he hit his first grand slam
• White Sox are holding a Pope Leo XIV promotion
• This slider is really good and moves the entirely wrong direction
• Jo Adell robbed 3 home runs in the same game
• Red Sox new pitcher pays tribute to dad after 44-mile drive to MLB debut

Continue reading...