The Texas Rangers’ top two pitching prospects in Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter, will make the Opening Day starting rotation. Rocker and Leiter both pitched together at Vanderbilt. Leiter will start the second game of the season against the Boston Red Sox. Leiter will face Tanner Houck. Rocker will get the Rangers’ fifth spot in the rotation.
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Jack Leiter
Leiter this spring made six appearances with three coming as starts, going 1-0 with a 3.48 ERA, a 1.55 WHIP, and 21 strikeouts in 20.2 innings. Last season with Texas, he made nine appearances with six coming as starts, going 0-3 with an 8.83 ERA, a 5.66 FIP, a 1.71 WHIP, and 31 strikeouts in 35.2 innings. Last season, he pitched at Triple-A Round Rock as well, making 17 appearances with 16 of them coming as starts. Leiter went 6-4 with a 3.51 ERA, a 1.26 WHIP, and 110 strikeouts in 77 innings.
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Kumar Rocker
Rocker this spring made four starts, going 0-2 with a 13.00 ERA, a 2.33 WHIP, and 12 strikeouts in nine innings. He made three starts last season with Texas, going 0-2 with a 3.86 ERA, a 3.68 FIP, a 1.54 WHIP, and 14 strikeouts in 11.2 innings. He also pitched in rookie ball, Double-A, and Triple-A. Rocker made 10 appearances with nine of those coming as starts, going 0-1 with a 1.96 ERA, a 0.79 WHIP, and 55 strikeouts in 36.2 innings.
