Al Leiter knows when to pump the brakes on offering sound advice to his son Jack, a top prospect in the Texas Rangers organization.
Parenting is never easy, not at any age. Moms and dads always want the very best for their children.
Jack Leiter, a 24-year-old prospect of the Rangers, is one of Al and Lori’s four kids. Jack follows in the family business of baseball and is a pitcher.
From all reports, his success at New Jersey’s Delbarton Prep School in Morristown, where he was a teammate of New York Yankee star shortstop Anthony Velope, to dominating on the collegiate level with the Vanderbilt Commodores, taking the Tennessee university to the 2021 College World Series Finals, Lieter is the “real deal.”
Leiter was on the Rangers’ radar after tossing a no-hitter in Southeastern Conference play in 2021. Not only did they select him in the first round of the MLB Draft that year, but last year’s World Series champions took Leiter second overall. Coming to terms with a reported $7.92 million bonus, the second-generation hurler instantly had a huge target on his back. Big bucks are expected to bring big results, and the sooner, the better for club officials.
Earlier this MLB season, Leiter’s third learning the pro game, he received his first opportunity on the big League level. In three games, Leiter took a pounding from opponents. In 9.1 innings of work, the second-generation hurler surrendered 18 hits and 19 runs. His 16.39 ERA is what ticketed him back to the minors.
Another opportunity to prove himself with the Rangers is planned for Aug. 28 when the club is in Chicago taking on the White Sox. This will be Leiter’s third opportunity this season with the MLB club. After his April debut, Leiter pitched in two more games in May.
Rangers skipper Bruce Bochy oversees his young phenom’s professional growth. Bullpen coach Dave Borkowski and pitching coach Mike Maddux also funnel advice on technique and style on how Leiter could improve his game. Then, there is Dad Al, 58, who could toss a couple of nuggets at what he sees in his son’s game. But, being the veteran of the game that Al is, he knows his place on when and where to chime in.
“I always let his manager and his coaches do the coaching. I never put myself in the middle. Jack is my son so of course we do talk. I give him some perspective of what it’s like to pitch in pro ball,” the former 19-year MLB pitcher told The Epoch Times in an email earlier this week.
Will Al be watching his son’s highly anticipated game at Guaranteed Rate Field on Aug. 28 as a dad, not as an MLB Network analyst or as a pitcher who threw a no-hitter as a Florida Marlin? Players and parents, especially those with three World Series rings, have emotions to control. It appears that Al resorts to his experience in uniform to thread the needle in offering advice but not overloading his son with information that could overlap with what the Rangers are supplying.
“I have been down to see him pitch a number of times this summer. I do my notes and I pass it on when it’s appropriate. I am sure that Jack also talks with my brother Mark,” said Al.
Big brother Mark is Jack’s uncle, Mark Leiter. Mark, like his brother and nephew, also called pitching in MLB during 11 seasons his line of work. Pitching for eight teams during his career, Mark, like Al, serves as a sound, go-to mechanic when questions about his delivery and pitch placement remain unanswered.
If not having a father and uncle as pitching gurus on-call, to go along with an entire MLB development staff to ring up when confusion or doubt sets in, yes, there’s another Leiter on speed dial for Jack. Mark Leiter Jr., Jack’s cousin, is a Major League pitcher. Currently a reliever for the New York Yankees, Mark Jr. logged five seasons in the minors leagues until getting his opportunity on the MLB level with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2017. Now, with over 200 games under his belt with the Phillies, Blue Jays, Cubs, and Yanks, Jack has a third family source to bounce off ideas and concerns.
But Al is first a proud parent of his son’s pitching progression, and he is careful not to disrupt the Rangers’ knowledge stream.
“I am so proud of what Jack has accomplished. He has made himself into a pitcher. I’m much more nervous watching my son pitch than I thought I would be.”
Jack has put together a string of successful outings with Round Rock that has given the Rangers the confidence they needed to give their prized prospect another look this season. Going up against the White Sox, with a 31–101 record heading into the Aug. 28 game and sitting dead last in the American League Central, Leiter’s return to Major League Baseball and in Chicago at this time, his confidence should be at an all-time high.
“Jack had a taste of it (MLB) earlier in the year and I’m hoping for nothing but the best for him.”
