Jack Leiter has arrived — and he means business.
The Rangers right-hander made his presence felt Friday night, dominating the Red Sox with four strikeouts across five one-run innings to secure a Texas victory. While it wasn’t technically his MLB debut, this early-season start represented a significant opportunity for the former No. 2 overall pick from Vanderbilt.
Leiter, son of former MLB pitcher Al, didn’t just win — he showed us something special.
What jumped off the screen immediately was Leiter’s fastball velocity. He’s throwing serious heat now, averaging 1.4 mph faster than what we saw from him last season. The numbers tell the story: Leiter touched 99 mph twice and fired another 14 pitches between 98-98.9 mph. He added 20 more heaters in the 97-97.9 mph range.
Boston hitters couldn’t catch up. Leiter’s fastball had that late explosion that makes even big league hitters look foolish, generating six whiffs on just 17 swings against the pitch.
Is this just opening weekend adrenaline? Maybe. But it looks more like Leiter has added strength and is ready to blow away hitters all season long.
Jack Leiter, 99mph pic.twitter.com/rcAAHTo748
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 29, 2025
What makes Leiter’s arsenal even more effective is the speed differential. His slider came in roughly 10 mph slower than his fastball while maintaining its sharp break. That’s a nightmare for hitters gearing up for 98 mph heat — they simply can’t adjust in time. Red Sox batters mostly avoided swinging at the slider altogether, but when they did, they whiffed on two of their four attempts.
Leiter didn’t stop there. He unveiled a new sinker variant and showed a completely revamped changeup that’s 2.1 mph faster than last season’s version.
It’s too early to know how these new weapons will develop throughout the season. But the confidence to throw his entire arsenal in his first start of the year? That’s a great sign for the Rangers and a troubling development for the rest of the league.
