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Jack Leiter discusses his mental and physical strides taken for Texas Rangers

While taking strides with his stuff as a pitcher, possibly the biggest key to Jack Leiter’s development has been his mentality as a pitcher.

Texas Rangers rookie pitcher Jack Leiter made a Tuesday appearance on GBag Nation on 105.3 The Fan (KRLD-FM) to discuss his start against the Yankees, the mental side of his pitching development and the steps he has taken as a Rangers pitching prospect.

Answers are edited lightly for clarity:

What was it like taking on the Yankees yesterday?

Jack Leiter: It was awesome. Mostly growing up in the New Jersey area, my dad playing for the Yankees, that’s a dream of mine. Playing against a former teammate and really good friend of mine in Anthony Volpe, having my cousin in the bullpen for the Yankees, there’s just a lot of underlying stories that made it extra special out there.

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What have been some of the things this year that you’ve really been working on?

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Leiter: It’s been a special year all around, obviously getting my first taste up here in the big leagues. The results haven’t been there yet, obviously in terms of what I’d like to see in my big league outings. It’s really got to process mindset as a pitcher coming up in the big leagues. A lot of times you control what you can control, and that’s executing a pitch. Strictly from a process mindset, I felt like my execution last night was the best it’s been in all my big league outings by a good margin. Obviously, the results in the final line and the fact that we didn’t end up with an extra win in the win column, those all were frustrating after the game, but once you take on the process mindset of “Did I execute more times than not,” there’s a lot of positive takeaways. It’s a good one to build off of.

Texas Rangers pitcher Jack Leiter (35) , second from left, talks with Texas Rangers pitching...
Texas Rangers pitcher Jack Leiter (35) , second from left, talks with Texas Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux, right, as Texas Rangers third base Josh Jung (6) and Texas Rangers catcher Jonah Heim (28) look on during the sixth inning of a baseball game at Globe Life Field, Monday, Sept. 2, 2024 in Arlington. (Chitose Suzuki / Staff Photographer)

You’ve mentioned getting some spot starts, has that been tougher on you? Would you rather have just remained in one spot rather than going back and forth from the big leagues?

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Leiter: In the same way, you control what you can control. You pitch where you’re at and you give it your all. But yeah, as pitchers, we’re creatures of habit and I’d say me more so than others, even. Having a routine is important. It’s always nice when you can spend time around the guys and get to know the catchers and get to know the coaching staff more so than just kind of flying in and showing up at the field to pitch that day. But that all comes with earning it. That’s something you have to show with results over time. My confidence in myself long-term in getting those results in my career is very high. But obviously, some of these outings early on in my big league career weren’t there statistically speaking, for a number of reasons. So it’s all about the process. Those times when I got sent back down, it’s “Alright what do I need to do to get back up here and have more success the next time?” Because that’s all you can control.

How much more comfortable are you going into your fifth start compared to your first one?

Leiter: Yeah, much more comfortable. It’s about managing adrenaline. I’ve pitched in big games, pitched in the College World Series. But something about the big leagues, it’s something you dream about forever and it’s an opportunity that I’ll never take for granted. But you want to make the most of it. Sometimes wanting it too bad can lead to self-caused errors and mistakes. I think that’s what sort of was happening in my early outings was wanting it too much. As a result my mind is thinking too many things, it’s just moving too quick. It’s about slowing it down for myself. You’re the pitcher, you’ve got the ball in your hand, it’s on your time. Yesterday, it was a conscious effort about making it on my time.

Does your high draft status add any pressure to you on the mound?

Leiter: I wouldn’t say so. I think the pressure I put on myself is more so than any other external factors could put on me. I think that’s kind of what you need to have to be successful in anything, is holding yourself to a high standard. But there is a fine line between holding yourself that high standard and applying to much pressure on yourself. You could always say there’s been pressure, being a son of a major league baseball player and choosing to be a pitcher as well, there’s that inherent pressure. When you experience it so long for so much of your life, it just doesn’t really affect me. I mean obviously it’s there, but no, I would say it’s just about making pitches. Simple.

What do you try and do to decompress before a start? Have you had to learn some things that help you calm down a little bit?

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Leiter: Yeah, absolutely. I think the mental side is huge, especially for a starting pitcher, because you’re out there on an island. It’s your game. If you lay an egg, it’s on you. There’s full accountability there and you just want to do what it takes to help the team win. Like I said, that hasn’t been there quite yet, but that’s part of the accountability and the working process. I hope it just makes it that much sweeter when it does start coming around results-wise. But yeah, from the mental side, there’s so many different ways to go about it, but it comes down to how do you get yourself to fully focus on this one pitch. It’s the most important thing in the world and once it’s done, it’s meaningless. It’s not easy, but it’s part of it. This pitch is everything, and after that, this pitch is everything. Whatever you can do throughout your day, throughout your week, throughout the hours leading up to your start and throughout the seconds between pitches to get to that point is everything. I think that’s what us as pitchers are always working to accomplish more and more.

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