The Sunday Read: As Jack Leiter's fall semester comes to an end, his Texas Rangers career is just beginning
The No. 2 overall pick this year hopes to be throwing off a mound by the end of December and in the major leagues as quickly as possible.
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Pitchers at Vanderbilt the past 15 years or so have been known for their ability to get out of jams.
David Price, Mike Minor, Sonny Gray, Walker Buehler and, among others, Jack Leiter have worked their magic on the mound in tight spots in big games.
Leiter is again facing a pretty difficult jam. His last final of the fall semester is scheduled for — get this — a Saturday at 7 p.m.
The same final will be given to another class two days earlier, but the professor is standing her ground and not giving Leiter a chance to take it early so he can make a family obligation.
“Not ideal,” he said.
Maybe not, but the exam will close the books on a 15-hour course load and allow Leiter to focus full time on his day job.
Leiter doubles as a right-handed pitcher in the Texas Rangers’ system and is viewed as a key piece to future playoff runs even though he hasn’t thrown a pitch since signing as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft.
Despite being being shut down after the draft and being largely in the same environment he had been in the previous two years, Leiter said he feels like professional ballplayer.
“But I would say it's not going to be real until I actually put a uniform on and face a different color of uniform," Leiter said last week during a Thanksgiving break from his studies. “I'm counting down the days until that happens, but I know it's more about just taking it one day at a time and doing what I can right now to get better and put myself in a good position for next year.”