Jack Leiter

Leiter was forced into the starting rotation out of spring training following injuries to both Jon Gray and Cody Bradford. While there were some rocky starts, the full body of work was good, with stretches of greatness along the way. Leiter went 10-10 with 3.86 ERA, 1.279 WHIP over 151.2 innings (29 starts). The right-hander struck out 148 (8.8 K/9) and walked 67 (4.4 BB/9). The walks jump out as sub-optimal, and that's been an issue for Leiter over his first few seasons as a professional. He's battled control issues and high walk totals at every stop, although the second half of 2025 hinted at the promise of a pitcher selected second overall in the 2021 draft. The 25-year-old posted a 3.28 ERA and dropped his walk rate to 3.66 BB/9 after the All-Star break. He's set to open the season as part of the Rangers' top three along with Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi. Read Past Outlooks