The Texas Rangers they selected the pitching sensation, Jack Leiter, as the second overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft today Sunday. Leiter, the son of two-time All-Star Al Leiter, was ranked the best pitcher, and the No. 2 prospect overall, in this year’s draft, according to MLB Pipeline.
The 21-year-old right-hander played with Vanderbilt in his sophomore year this season, racking up 179 strikeouts in 110 innings (tied with teammate Kumar Rocker for the most in Division I):
Leiter wasted no time establishing himself as the best pitching prospect in this class, pitching a no-hitter with 16 strikeouts on March 20 against South Carolina, his first career start in the SEC. Leiter followed that historic performance by keeping Missouri hitless for seven innings before heading off with his pitch count at 101.
He eventually pitched 20 innings and 2/3 no hitter or score in a row spanning three starts on his way to going 11-4 with a 2.13 ERA in 18 starts. Leiter is based on an electric fastball that runs at 90-95 mph (and tops out at 97), but it also has impressive movement that induces an inordinate amount of missed swings in the zone.
The 6-foot-1 right-hander also mixes into a 12-to-6 curve ball and has a controlled slider that some scouts believe could turn out to be an even better pitching than his curveball.
Although Leiter received a first-round interest upon leaving high school in 2019, he intended to honor his commitment to Vanderbilt. That led to him staying on the board until round 20, when he was selected by the Yankees, the same club that selected his father in the second round of the 1984 Draft.
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Al Leiter went on to play for four teams during a 19-year Major League career that featured a pair of World Series titles (1993 Blue Jays and 1997 Marlins) and 1,974 strikeouts.
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