The two-man team at the Texas Rangers Baseball Podcast, John Moore and I, hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We took some time off to celebrate, but before breaking were thought we should start 2022 strong.
We thought Jack Leiter would help us accomplish that.
The Rangers’ first-round pick in 2021, selected second overall, made his TRBP debut Thursday afternoon from his home in New Jersey. He won’t be there much longer, though, as he is slated for trips to Arlington and Arizona next week.
Once at the Surprise Recreation Campus, the plan is to stay there until spring training begins.
Leiter runs through his offseason so far on our 18th episode overall. He has thrown off a mound five times, though at no more than 75% of his maximum effort. He’s just trying to get a feel for all of his pitches before dialing it up a little more.
He hasn’t set any statistical goals for 2022, his first professional season, and he doesn’t particularly care where the Rangers ask him to start the season. The goal, he said, is to get better every day regardless of the results.
There’s a bunch of other stuff, including his fondness for country music and disdain for peanut butter.
Give it a listen by clicking the play button atop this story or by clicking one of the links below to popular podcast platforms.
Texas Rangers Baseball Podcast kicks off 2022 with top prospect Jack Leiter