Jack Leiter, Delbarton grad, called up by Texas Rangers and will make MLB debut Thursday

Delbarton grad Jack Leiter is going to The Show.

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft after his sophomore season at Vanderbilt University, Leiter was called up by the Texas Rangers on Tuesday.

The son of Yankees and Mets legend Al Leiter , Jack will start Thursday in Detroit, the team announced.

Leiter, a 23-year-old righty, has a 3.77 ERA in three appearances for Triple-A Round Rock (Texas) this spring, with just three walks and 25 strikeouts in 14⅓ innings.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy described Leiter's progression and the timing of his call up in an MLB.com story on Tuesday.

“He’s been throwing the ball very well down there," Bochy said. "What a great time to call him up because he’s been throwing well, and again, he’s earned this. I told him when he left [Spring Training] that we’re going to need him, and I loved the way he was throwing."

Leiter has had trouble finding consistency in the minors. He had a 5.54 ERA for the Double-A Frisco (Texas) RoughRiders in 2022. Last season, he posted a 5.19 ERA between Frisco and Round Rock – and spent a month on the development list.

"He's a super aggressive kid, competitive, goes at hitters with elite stuff," Texas' senior director of amateur scouting, Kip Fagg, said on draft day. "That's what we expect when we get him in a Rangers uniform."

From Delbarton to Major League Baseball

The 2019 Gatorade New Jersey Baseball Player of the Year , Leiter had a 0.85 ERA in three seasons at Delbarton, allowing 54 hits and 11 earned runs for the Morris County school, walking 45 and striking out 177 in 117.1 innings. While at Vanderbilt, he had a 2.08 ERA in 22 appearances, 21 of them starts.

Former Green Wave classmate Anthony Volpe, who went straight from high school to pro ball, is already in his second season as the Yankees' starting shortstop . Another classmate, lefty Shawn Rapp , went from Delbarton to the University of North Carolina, and is now with Cleveland's High-A affiliate.

Told of the call-up on Tuesday night, Volpe said he's "excited to watch" his friend's first MLB start on the Yankees' off day.

Jersey pride: As Jack Leiter makes MLB debut, Anthony Volpe cheers for his Delbarton friend

Texas comes to the Bronx for three games starting Aug. 9, and will host the Yankees in early September.

"We’re thrilled for him at Delbarton," Green Wave athletic director and assistant baseball coach Tony Negrin said by phone before the team headed to play at Mendham.

"He’s taken it in great stride and worked consistently at his craft. ... We knew he was going to get there.  It was a question of when it was going to happen, not if it was."

Leiter, who got a $7.8 million signing bonus , will be the fourth MLB pitcher in his family.

Lefty Al Leiter threw back-to-back no hitters during his senior season at Central Regional in Bayville. He was drafted out of high school, going to the Yankees in the second round. Three years later, at age 21, he was in the majors and went on to a 19-year career with four clubs, including the Mets.

Mark Leiter, Al's brother, pitched for 11 major league seasons – and his son, Mark Leiter Jr., is pitching for the Chicago Cubs. Another brother, Kurt Leiter, reached as high as Double-A with Baltimore.

Jane Havsy is a storyteller for the Daily Record and DailyRecord.com, part of the USA TODAY Network. For full access to live scores, breaking news and analysis, subscribe today .

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This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Jack Leiter, Delbarton grad, called up by Texas Rangers and will make MLB debut Thursday