Dallas City Wire

At the July 11 2021 MLB Draft, the Texas Rangers used the second pick of the draft to pick up pitcher Jack Leiter out of Vanderbilt.

Leiter is a right-hander fastball that can hit the mid-90s and has two strong breaking pitches that could get close to the top of a rotation, ESPN News reported. He went 11-4 with the Vanderbilt Commodores while maintaining a 2.13 ERA, conducted a no-hitter against South Carolina and struck out 179 in 110 innings.

"Good news! Go Rangers," State Rep. Rafael Anchía (D-Dallas) wrote in a July 11 Twitter post.

Leiter is the son of former big leaguer Al Leiter, who logged 19 seasons as a pitcher himself and watched the draft at home with his son and wife.

"It's really hard to put into words," Jack Leiter told ESPN News. "I'm just so happy I was able to have my family and friends and people that care about me all here to celebrate with."

As a pitcher for the Vanderbilt Commodores, Leiter reached the College World Series finals according to The Tennessean.

"Jack is someone we've zeroed in for a while," Chris Young, Rangers general manager told ESPN News. "He fits everything we're trying to accomplish as an organization."

Leiter's former teammate and fellow Vanderbilt pitcher Kumar Rocker was taken by the New York Mets with a 10th pick. Rocker and Leiter finished their Commodore careers as the best pitching duo in the program's history. 

With the first pick of the 2021 MLB Draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates picked Louisville catcher Henry Davis. General manager Ben Cherington was impressed with Davis' skills and drive to improve himself.

"He checks a lot of boxes," Cherington told ESPN News. "We've had a lot of fun getting to know him."

The Detroit Tigers used their third pick to choose Oklahoma high school pitcher Jackson Jobe.