With the second pick of the 2021 MLB Draft, the Texas Rangers selected Jack Leiter, a righthanded pitcher out of Vanderbilt University.
It feels almost anti-climatic. We have been talking about Leiter as a possible Ranger draft pick for almost a year. Back in September of 2020 there was “will Texas take Leiter or Rocker?” talk. As the spring baseball season started, and draft discussions started getting more serious, we saw Jordan Lawlar rise up the boards, then Marcelo Mayer, though Leiter stayed in the top tier. I found myself saying over and over, hey, if they don’t draft Leiter it will be fine, he’s not a slam dunk at two, if the Rangers pass on him at two it’s no reason to freak out.