'He's gonna be the ace': Leiter caps first full season with 10-K gem

CLEVELAND -- Five days ago, Jack Leiter didn’t want to do any reflecting on his season just yet. That’s for the offseason, he said. He still had to toe the rubber one last time.

The Rangers fell out of postseason contention on Tuesday, but Leiter took the mound at Progressive Field on Friday night looking to play spoiler to the surging Guardians.

The Texas rookie dealt a quality start against Cleveland’s pesky offense, allowing just two runs on a Kyle Manzardo homer in the first inning. He cruised through most of the rest of the night, striking out a career-high-tying 10 and lowering his season ERA to 3.86 as the Rangers beat the Guardians, 7-3.

After working around a leadoff double in the second inning and a one-out walk in the third, Leiter retired 14 of the final 15 batters he faced, including striking out the side in the seventh to end the night.

“It's awesome,” Leiter said. “That was a great way to put a cap on the year. … I was excited for this game because I knew it would kind of feel like a playoff environment. It's a cool place to end it. Even though our season is ending on Sunday, [the Guardians are] obviously playing for a lot, and as a competitor, that's something that you get excited for.”

Manager Bruce Bochy praised Leiter’s pitch ability and how his command of the strike zone has gotten better and better throughout the year.

With a refined pitch mix that includes the four-seamer, two-seamer, curveball, slider and a refined changeup he introduced in Spring Training, he’s looked about as complete a big leaguer as ever.

“He's just got a good feel for the big leagues now,” said catcher Jonah Heim. “It’s super impressive. He gave us 29 starts this year, and they seem to all be quality starts. I’m super proud of him for that. Just where he's come from, where we started is amazing. He put in the work, and I think when he goes on the mound, he's confident in what he's doing.”

Leiter, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, collected 151 2/3 innings in his first full big league season. His 29 starts are tied for the sixth most by a rookie in franchise history (including the Senators), while matching Yu Darvish in 2012 for the most by a Rangers rookie in the past 20 seasons.

Leiter’s 148 strikeouts put him above current president of baseball operations Chris Young (137) for the fifth-most strikeouts by a Rangers rookie in a season.

“I think there's a lot of milestones personally that I was able to reach, and I am proud of the progress,” Leiter said. “I’m just hungry for more going into next year. I feel confident in my offseason process and ability to improve and take what I've learned this year and use that momentum into the next year.”

Leiter's professional career has no doubt been frustrating for a guy drafted with such ace potential. In each of his first two Minor League seasons from 2022-23, he posted an ERA well over 5.00 with Double-A Frisco.

But Young himself has always said that pitching development isn’t linear.

And in 2024, Leiter took a giant leap forward, posting a 3.51 ERA in 77 innings at Triple-A Round Rock en route to winning the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year Award. His cup of coffee in the big leagues that year -- 8.83 ERA in 35 2/3 innings -- surely could have gone better.

But he took a lot from those outings and allowed that to fuel him for 2025.

“At times in 2024, I would say there was extreme frustration and disappointment and knowing that I'm better than that,” Leiter said. “I guess I would tell myself to just stick with it. ‘Keep going, stay the course, day by day.’ The little things are the big things. … [In 2026], I want to build on this and continue to just refine the arsenal. Do the little things, refine mechanics and ideally execute better. That's always the goal.”

Now, he’s solidified himself as part of the Rangers' rotation for the present and future.

“This guy, at some point, he's gonna be the ace on the staff,” Bochy said. “That's how good I think he is and how good he can be.”