SURPRISE, Ariz. — A game like Saturday’s, Texas Rangers right-handed pitcher Jack Leiter conceded, would’ve resulted in “pure frustration” as recently as three years ago. The work he’s put into his mental development — plus a full season’s worth of starts in the big leagues — allows for a different perspective.
“Understanding what time of year it is, and understanding what I’m trying to work on, it’s all about process,” Leiter said. “I feel like there’s a lot of positives to build off of, even from this one, and a lot of things where I know exactly what I need to do to right the ship.”
Leiter needed 45 pitches to record four outs in his second Cactus League start vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday at Surprise Stadium. He allowed three extra-base hits — one of which was a two-run home run hit in the first inning by catcher Dalton Rushing — and two walks spread across three separate innings. He exited with one out in the second but returned to start the third thanks to the flexibility of exhibitions.
He was happy to pitch that deep into a game on Feb. 28. He liked how he attacked with a four-seam fastball that ran 96.8 mph and hit 98.6 mph. Maybe more importantly than anything, he was able to explore the studio space with a secondary pitch that he hopes creates more unpredictability on the mound.
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The 25-year-old threw his new-look cutter seven times vs. the Dodgers and, at times, “fell in love with it too much.” He threw it twice in his first start vs. the Los Angeles Angels and recorded two outs. On Saturday, he threw it three times in a 10-pitch at-bat vs. Dodgers outfielder Kyle Tucker for a whiff and two fouls, though it was a ball the next four times he went to it.
“Early on I threw some really good ones,” Leiter said. “I think at that point it might’ve just become, ‘OK, that pitch is on today.’ In the second inning it wasn’t quite the same. I think I was kind of getting underneath it and just missing.”
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