SURPRISE, Ariz. — The day after he pitched Lemont High School to the school’s first Illinois State Championship in a boys sport in its 125-year history, Jacob Latz packed up his car and headed south. Didn’t wait around for graduation, parties, or even the award ceremony where he was recognized as the top baseball player in the state.
There was his vision to attend to. His visions of a championship trinity. He’d already unlocked the first and was eager to get started on the second, an NCAA title, before his quest for a third, a World Series ring. Next stop: Baton Rouge, La., and LSU before being drafted a couple of years later and jumping into a championship-caliber rotation.
That was the vision, and he was single-minded about it.
Funny thing, though. While the road to Baton Rouge was pretty much a straight shot down I-55, the road to where he wants to be has been anything but.
Rangers
An elbow fracture that led to two surgeries and the ultimate repositioning of a nerve. An ulcer. A flare of IBS. A detour to Kent, Ohio, where he was denied the chance to pitch in games by the NCAA, when that was actually a thing. Most of seven years in the minors and an eventual switch to the bullpen. Even last year in his breakout season, there were detours. He began the season in the minors and got sent down for three weeks.
But he never lost sight of his vision.
“He’s been determined and undeterred,” said Mike Papierski, his high school catcher, carpool mate to LSU and his teammate for two years at LSU. “He is unbelievable in that regard.”
Texas Rangers pitcher Jacob Latz talks with pitching coach Jordan Tiegs in the bullpen during a spring training workout at the team’s training facility on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in Surprise, Ariz.
Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer
Despite all the turns, there was Latz on Tuesday, making his first start of spring, holding Arizona scoreless for two innings on 26 pitches, 20 of them strikes. He started six of the eight batters he faced with strikes, folded a more refined curveball into the mix and didn’t allow a walk, homer or a run. He’s the only starter thus far to allow none of the three.
Even so, even with his best opportunity to earn a job in the rotation, it’s not guaranteed. His role, whether as the fifth starter or a “Swiss army knife” utility reliever, might be dependent on how Kumar Rocker performs this spring.
“I would love to go to the [Rangers] and be like, ‘What would happen if I’m lights out in the spring?’,” Latz told The Dallas Morning News last week. “Would I still get it or are they going to go with someone else because he’s in good form, too? It’s interesting. I haven’t gotten clarity. And through all this stuff I’ve been through, I’ve learned not to get caught up in all that because you control only what you control.
“Life happens. I’ve gained so much patience — true patience — through all the mental and physical adversity, it was invaluable to me beyond the stuff I accomplished on the field.”
Starting fresh, staying fresh
His bio, alone, underscores both patience and perseverance.
Latz, who will turn 30 on April 8, has the longest current tenure among players in the Rangers’ organization. He’s the sole remaining member of the 2017 draft class, though he has just under two years of MLB service time. And even that route was circuitous. His path to the majors should come with an audio guide. He’d spent the spring leading up to the draft pitching at — but not for — Kent State. He’d spent the two seasons prior at LSU, dogged by injuries and needing a fresh start, especially after he said it was suggested to him that perhaps he needed to find a better way mentally to deal with the elbow pain.
He chose Kent because the coaches there had previous experience getting immediate eligibility status for transfers who had dealt with a similar medical issue. Latz put together a 20-page presentation for the NCAA that detailed the lingering post-surgery issues along with the ulcer and IBS. A week before the season was to start, the NCAA ruled he’d have to sit out a year, meaning he wouldn’t pitch in his junior, draft-eligible season. The Kent coaches, however, set up a system to turn Wednesdays into “Latz Day,” when he’d face hitters in an intrasquad game with scouts on hand. It wasn’t ideal, but it was better than nothing.
He also was thrust into a new roommate situation with an outfielder named Bryan Soth, who injured his knee and was going through the same existential crisis about his baseball career. It led to a lot of downtime and a couple of really honest conversations.
“It went very quickly from, ‘What a great year this is going to be’ to ‘What are we going to do?’” said Soth, now a medical student applying for an orthopedic residency with an interest in sports medicine. “Everything makes sense and then nothing does. But we talked about what steps we could take forward regardless of not being on the field. There was a mutual acknowledgement to work on some element of our craft together every day. By the end of the year, we were in a completely better position, not only as baseball players, but as humans.
Texas Rangers pitcher Jacob Latz warms up before a spring training game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Surprise Stadium on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in Surprise, Ariz.
Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer
“His mental side stayed so strong. He was committed and focused, despite not being able to play. He made the team better even though he wasn’t officially playing. It was awesome to see his level of commitment.”
Among the things they did was travel back to Baton Rouge to see a nutritional specialist. Latz had become familiar with the specialist while at LSU with the intent of overhauling his diet for peak performance. He’d been gluten intolerant since childhood and had dealt with IBS at different intervals. The duo made the investment in both time and money on their own, which explains his lunch order for this conversation: A cheeseburger, with no cheese, no bun and no onion, but added avocado and fruit instead of fries.
It was also at his own expense this winter that he invested in a personal pitching coach to oversee his workouts while he spent the offseason in the Los Angeles area. He also spent significant time at the Titleist Performance Institute, getting lots of motion-capturing feedback on his delivery. An added benefit: Might have shaved a stroke off his golf handicap, too.
But it was all part of a dedicated attempt to lock down a job in the Rangers’ rotation. His dedication to converting to starter and convincing the Rangers of his worthiness for the role is reminiscent of the way C.J. Wilson went about it after the 2009 season and then turned into a workhorse starter on back-to-back AL championship teams.
After watching Latz finish his 2025 season with 5 ⅓ strong innings at Cleveland, the Rangers sent him off into the winter with permission to prepare as a starter, but no guarantees of opportunities. It was vastly different from previous situations in Rangers history when the team was desperate for quality starters. Things are a bit different these days. It did not deter Latz.
“I think the biggest reason why I want the opportunity is because some of my best traits are being able to adjust in game, being able to navigate a whole lineup, having multiple weapons to get guys out and having balanced ability against lefties and righties,” Latz said. “And I love the fact that you can not have your ‘A’ game right away, but still find a way to get a win or a quality start or go deep into the game. It’s a game where you are never perfect, and I like having to figure out how to get through things, rather than just being on a short sprint.
“If I end up being in a leverage role in the bullpen, it will be really exciting for me, but I feel like my true colors show more as a starter than a reliever.”
Maintaining the vision
What he can’t control, though, is the team’s decision.
As impressed as they’ve been with Latz as a potential starter, his body of work in the bullpen, perhaps an area of more concern than the rotation, can’t be overlooked. If Rocker convinces the Rangers he can be adequate in the No. 5 spot, what Latz does as a starter might be moot.
He was so valuable in a variety of roles last year that he could fit anywhere there is a need. To wit: Latz was the only pitcher in the majors last season to have at least 50 innings of work, a sub-3.00 ERA (2.84), at least one quality start and a save. He’s unique.
“He’s going about it exactly like he should be,” manager Skip Schumaker said. “He’s doing everything he can on the field and inside the clubhouse to show he’s ready for the fifth spot in the rotation. It’s a good and a bad thing, how good he is in the bullpen and as a starter. He’s so valuable to our club; it’s so hard to find that type of pitcher in the industry that can do both and be successful at it. But he is. He’s attacking it like he’s going to win the fifth spot.”
Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob Latz (67) exits the game during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Monday, Sept. 8, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Julio Cortez / AP
He’s attacked it this offseason by trying to build up his strength to allow himself to better navigate lineups a third time and to better hold his velocity. That was the reason the club moved him to the bullpen in 2023, to try to keep him fresher. But in a couple of handfuls of third at-bats against hitters, he was fairly successful. While his fastball did dip a mile or so at the season’s midpoint, he was able to recover most of the loss for the final month.
This offseason, he went to work on the curveball and on refining his delivery ever so slightly to stay more on line to retain command and optimize his velocity. A big project for the winter was to attack immediately. For his career, he throws a first-pitch strike about 57% of the time. Tuesday was only a first impression and a small sample size, but even for a single outing, 75% is exceptional.
“Jake knows the answers already,” said Rangers pitching coach Jordan Tiegs, who worked with him in the minors and reunited last year as the bullpen coach. “He’s been able to connect the dots himself. He’s answering his own questions or giving me what he’s going to do before I’m even giving it to him. To me, that’s the ultimate growth. He has a plan, a specific goal and it’s all related to the starting component. He has grown so much.”
It is because he has held on to his vision. Through injuries, obstacles and changes, he’s never let go of that vision. It is clearer now than ever before.
“If I’d gotten this chance, say, five years ago, I probably would have been okay,” Latz said. “But I think it’s perfect timing, really, for me to take it in stride and then reach the level that I’ve wanted and envisioned for myself.”
Twitter/X: @Evan_P_Grant
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