Al Leiter was serious when he told The Post his son Jack was “way better than me” at the same age. Sunday night was proof of that bold statement.
Leiter, the Summit, N.J., native and son of the former Mets and Yankees southpaw, was chosen second overall in the MLB draft by the Texas Rangers, becoming the first local product to go that high since Pedro Alvarez of Washington Heights was taken second in 2008 by the Pirates. Slot value for where Leiter was picked is $7.79 million.
“It’s really hard to put into words,” Jack said on MLB Network. “[My dad] wanted me to be an infielder and I didn’t mind the idea. But my love was always for pitching. Sort of as I started to grow and high school progressed, I started to take that a little more seriously and I came a long way.”
Leiter was taken in the 20th round out of high school by the Yankees two years ago, mostly because teams were aware he was unlikely to bypass college. Otherwise, he would’ve been a mid-to-late first-round pick. Al, by contrast, was a second-round pick of the Yankees in 1984 and went on to win three World Series crowns and compile a lifetime 3.80 ERA across 19 seasons.
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Leiter has front-of-the-rotation stuff, a mid-to-high 90’s mph fastball and hammer curve. He has famous baseball bloodlines and competitive fire and poise that scouts and analysts believe will serve him well at the next level.
He was dominant in his once full year of college baseball, helping Vanderbilt reach the College World Series. Leiter threw the school’s first regular-season complete-game no-hitter in 50 years in his first SEC start. He compiled the most strikeouts in the country, with 179 in 110 innings, notched a 2.13 ERA, and was a consensus All-American.
Now, he’s headed to the professional ranks, the next step in a dream that began years ago while watching his father pitch at the sport’s highest level.
“Oh my God, he’s been the gift that keeps giving,” Al, who now works for MLB Network and as an adviser for the Mets, recently said. “He’s brought us a lot of joy.”
The Pirates used the first pick in the draft on University of Louisville catcher Henry Davis of Bedford, N.Y., a major surprise. California high school shortstop Marcelo Mayer was projected by most experts to go No. 1. The Tigers took Oklahoma high school right-handed pitcher Jackson Jobe and the Red Sox picked Mayer fourth. Rounding out the top five was Sam Houston State outfielder Colton Cowser, who was selected by the Orioles.