Is Jack Leiter related to Al Leiter? Rangers prospect has MLB lineage

The Texas Rangers made a surprising move ahead of Thursday's game, promoting Jack Leiter, a former No. 2 overall pick, to the majors. This came as a bit of a surprise because Leiter's minor league numbers have been far from stellar since being drafted back in 2021. Still, with the injuries that the Texas Rangers are dealing with in their starting rotation, they needed a reinforcement. Leiter is just that, and is starting Thursday's game against the Detroit Tigers.

Leiter is armed with electric stuff. His command hasn't been great in his professional career, but he's always struck out plenty of hitters. He throws hard with a wipeout slider. He should be fun to watch.

Seeing a player with the last name Leiter raises the question of if Jack is indeed related to Al Leiter. Turns out that yes, the two are related. Jack is Al's son. That makes Jack making his debut much more interesting.

How Jack Leiter is related to former MLB pitcher Al Leiter

What makes this crazier is not only is Jack the son of Al, but there is some more Leiter lineage to speak of with Mark Leiter being his uncle and former Chicago Cubs pitcher Mark Leiter Jr. being his cousin.

The most recognizable Leiter is, of course, his father, Al, who has a resume Jack hopes to match or even top. Al played 19 seasons for four teams and won a pair of World Series titles. He's also a two-time All-Star and finished in the top ten of NL Cy Young Award balloting twice.

Al is a great pitcher for Jack to learn from and try to emulate as he begins his MLB career. Jack certainly has the stuff to be a frontline starter for a long time, it's about whether he can command his pitches. That will determine if he can stick.