Rangers Announce Minor League Break Camp Roster, Jack Leiter Starting in Frisco
The Texas Rangers announced their break camp rosters Thursday morning, revealing where each of the club's prospects will begin their 2022 season.
Highlighting the announcement, top prospect Jack Leiter will make his professional debut at Double-A Frisco. After the Rangers selected him with the second overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, Leiter resumed classes at Vanderbilt in the fall instead of making his professional debut, which was agreed upon by both parties since the gap between the end of the college season and the draft was too long to ramp things back up again.
Leiter, the son of former big-league pitcher Al Leiter, came into camp this spring ready to hit the gas pedal and impressed Rangers officials throughout his time in Arizona. He even got a small taste of the big leagues, pitching 1 2/3 innings in the Rangers' first Cactus League game.
General manager Chris Young was very clear from the start of minor league camp that Leiter's performance in Arizona would dictate where he begins the season.
"Our expectation is Jack is relatively polished and ready to be challenged," Young said in February.
Ben Ludeman / Courtesy of the Texas Rangers
Ben Ludeman / Courtesy of the Texas Rangers
Ben Ludeman / Courtesy of the Texas Rangers
It's no secret that the jump from the Southeastern Conference in the NCAA to Double-A pro ball is significant. For the Rangers to make this decision, they clearly have confidence that Leiter is ready for that challenge.
Among other standout decisions, starting Josh Smith at Triple-A Round Rock is noteworthy. Smith, who was acquired from the New York Yankees in the Joey Gallo trade last year, only has 102 Double A at-bats under his belt (.294/.425/.431/.857).
The LSU product is known as a polished hitter and impressed a lot of people, along with fellow 2019 draft selection Davis Wendzel, with his performance during Cactus League play, including big-league manager Chris Woodward.
"They've done nothing but impress myself, our entire staff, the entire fan base, the entire organization. They put themselves on the map," Woodward said earlier this week.
"If you're going to be a true everyday big leaguer and impact player, you've gotta do it for 162 games. Having a great spring is a great catapult for them confidence-wise, but that's all it is for now. ... They've gotta go down and prove it."
Here is the entire break camp roster list announced by the Rangers:
Courtesy of the Texas Rangers
