Sitting at 5-2, the Texas Rangers are enjoying a solid start to the 2025 MLB season. Jack Leiter picked up his second win of the season in the Rangers’ 1-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday afternoon, tossing five scoreless innings with one hit and six strikeouts.
Leiter enjoys pitching alongside Nathan Eovaldi, who reminds him of a teammate he had at Vanderbilt.
“It’s pretty cool to watch someone pick apart a lineup the night before, and especially a right-handed pitcher with a similar arsenal,” Leiter said of Eovaldi. “He’s better than [anyone]; he’s an expert. Watching him just attack last night was obviously pretty cool. Going into today, it felt pretty similar to college, pitching after Kumar [Rocker] when he would dominate the night before.”
While Eovaldi has been productive on the mound for the Rangers, Leiter is coming into his own and is earning the respect of his teammates, including catcher Jonah Heim.
“He just looks like he’s confident on the mound,” said Heim. “He looks like he trusts all his stuff. He’s throwing his heater where he wants to. He’s getting ahead of guys. That’s the biggest difference. He’s hitting corners, he’s making nasty pitches, and I think he just trusts all his stuff.”
Additionally, Rangers manager Bruce Bocky likes what he has seen out of Leiter so far.
“It’s pitchability,” said Bochy. “That’s what you’re seeing. He’s not trying to bull his way through lineups. He’s throwing strikes. He is not putting guys on base. He’s pounding the strike zone, not beating himself. It’s a very, very competitive game. When you start putting guys on, you start beating yourself a little bit. He’s not doing that.”
Leiter could be in a position to be an impactful part of the Rangers’ rotation for years to come.
Rangers not focused on torpedo bats
With the new torpedo bats becoming all the rage throughout the MLB, members of the Rangers are more focused on improving themselves at the plate.
“I’m more focused on putting myself in the right spot to do what I need to do,” Corey Seager said. “There are probably times when it would help, but it’s hard to know exactly when those times are.”
“I want the Marcus Semien bat to start hitting first,” Marcus Semien said. “For me, it’s kind of a comfort thing. I’m comfortable with certain things. I’ve pretty much used the same two models for the last five years.”
The Rangers know what they are capable of at the plate, they are just waiting for things to click.
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