BREAKING: Jack Leiter’s Midseason Makeover — How the Rangers’ 25-Year-Old Righty Quietly Went From “Overhyped” to Legitimate Rotation Weapon
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It wasn’t that long ago — late June, to be exact — when Jack Leiter’s season ERA sat at 4.55. The chatter around the Texas Rangers’ young right-hander was cautious at best, cynical at worst. The questions were predictable, the tone skeptical. Was this former No. 2 overall pick ever going to become the pitcher Texas hoped for when they invested so heavily in him?
Six weeks later, the conversation feels completely different.
On a muggy Tuesday night in Arlington, Leiter delivered perhaps the most composed, efficient outing of his young career — five innings of one-run ball against the defending National League champion Arizona Diamondbacks. It wasn’t overpowering dominance in the traditional sense — no double-digit strikeout line or viral pitch grips — but it was the kind of measured, steady performance that keeps managers up at night for all the right reasons.
More importantly, it nudged his season ERA down to 3.94 — the first time it’s dipped below 4.00 since his April debut.
“It’s been a lot of work,” Leiter said afterward, sweat still visible on his cap brim. “I’ve been trying to take it start by start, focus on executing pitches, and trust that the results will follow. I’m starting to feel like the game is slowing down for me.”
A New Layer of Composure
That “slowing down” might be the biggest difference. When Leiter broke into the league, his stuff was loud — a mid-90s fastball with late life, a tight slider that flashed plus, and a changeup that could generate swing-and-miss when set up properly. But too often, command lapses put him in high-stress innings, forcing him into early exits.
The improvement since late June has been subtle yet telling: fewer deep counts, better sequencing, and a willingness to pitch to contact when the situation calls for it.
“I think earlier in the year, he was trying to strike everybody out,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. “Now he’s trusting his defense, getting quick outs, and understanding that efficiency is part of being a frontline starter in this league.”
Indeed, over his last seven starts, Leiter has averaged just 1.9 walks per nine innings — a dramatic improvement from the 3.8 mark in his first eight. The result is fewer baserunners, less traffic, and more opportunities to go deeper into games.
The ERA Tells a Story
If you want the short version of Leiter’s season, look no further than the ERA trend line:
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April 15: 4.71 ERA (rookie lumps, normal adjustments)
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June 22: 4.55 ERA (flashes of brilliance, inconsistencies remain)
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August 12: 3.94 ERA (steady climb toward reliability)
The numbers don’t just look better — they represent a tangible shift in the way he’s competing. Opponents are hitting just .216 against him since the All-Star break, compared to .268 before it. His WHIP has dropped from 1.38 to 1.12 in that span.
“That’s the thing about young pitchers,” Bochy said. “It’s not always about finding another mile per hour. It’s about finding yourself in the rhythm of the season. Jack’s doing that right now.”
A Glimpse of What’s to Come
Leiter, just 25 years old, isn’t pretending the job is done. “It’s great to see the progress, but I know there’s another level I can get to,” he said. “The league adjusts, hitters make changes — you’ve got to stay ahead of that.”
What has Rangers fans buzzing, though, is the combination of maturity and upside. The organization has long envisioned a future rotation anchored by Leiter alongside veterans like Nathan Eovaldi and Jon Gray, with prospects like Kumar Rocker potentially joining the fold in years to come.
If this midseason surge is a sign of things to come, that vision might be closer to reality than anyone expected.
Veteran catcher Jonah Heim has noticed the difference. “The confidence is real,” Heim said. “He’s not shying away from big spots anymore. He’s going right at guys. When you see that from a young pitcher, you know they’re turning the corner.”
The Fans Can Feel It
You can sense it in the ballpark. There’s a different energy when Leiter takes the mound now — less nervous anticipation, more genuine excitement. Every time he gets ahead in the count, you can hear the crowd leaning in, waiting for the punchout or the weak contact.
For a fan base still riding the high of last year’s World Series title, the prospect of developing another homegrown arm to extend the contention window is as tantalizing as it gets.
“This kid is going to be special,” one fan said outside Globe Life Field after Tuesday’s win. “You can just see it. He’s got the stuff, but now he’s got the poise too. That’s the scary part for the rest of the league.”
The Road Ahead
The Rangers have 44 games left, and if they want to lock in another postseason run, they’ll need every bit of stability they can get from their rotation. Leiter’s recent form has him squarely in that conversation — not as a back-end innings-eater, but as someone who could swing a playoff series if he keeps trending upward.
And while no one in the clubhouse is making any grand predictions, there’s a quiet belief that this second-half version of Jack Leiter might just be the real one.
“We’ve been patient,” Bochy said. “We knew it might take some time. But right now, he’s showing us the kind of pitcher we believed he could be.”
For Leiter, it’s about staying in that lane. “Just keep building,” he said. “Stay healthy, keep competing, and see where it takes us. That’s the fun part.”
If this is what fun looks like in August, October in Arlington could get very, very interesting.
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