Jack Leiter made his debut today for the Texas Rangers and became the fourth Major League pitcher in the family.
His first pitch against the Detroit Tigers made his father and uncle the first pair of pitching brothers to both have sons also pitch in the big leagues.
Jack, a highly-touted prospect, gave up eight hits and seven runs over 3 2/3 innings. The Rangers remain confident better days are ahead.
His father Al was a two-time All-Star left-hander with a 162-132 record over 19 seasons (1987-2005) for four ballclubs – primarily the New York Mets. He pitched a no-hitter for the Florida Marlins and won two World Series, with Mets and the Toronto Blue Jays.
Al’s brother Mark, a right-hander, had a 65-73 record for eight teams from 1990 thru 2001. His son Mark Jr., has a 6-17 record over five years with three teams. At age 33, he’s off to his best start. He has not allowed a run over 10 innings and nine relief appearances, striking out 11 for the Chicago Cubs in 2024.
“It’s been a really great journey, but it’s just like you and Dad always said — you guys were still getting better into your late 30s,” Mark Jr. said to Uncle Al during an episode of MLB Central earlier this month.
Jack was one of the top high school prospects in 2019 and drafted by the New York Yankees in the 20th round. He went to college powerhouse Vanderbilt, where he had a 13-4 record and 2.08 ERA over two seasons with 201 strikeouts and only 53 hits allowed over 125 1/3 innings. Included was a streak of 20 consecutive hitless innings over a three-start span in 2021. That included a 16-strikeout no-hitter over South Carolina.
He was the second overall pick in the 2021 draft and got a whopping signing bonus of $7,922,000 – $1.3 million more than No. 1 choice Henry Davis of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Davis, a catcher, made his MLB debut last summer.
Jack has struggled in 46 games in the minors. He has a 6-17 record and 5.25 earned run average. But he has missed enough bats to get 248 strikeouts and allow only 174 hits in 192 innings. The Rangers worked to alter his delivery, which was causing him to walk batters at an alarming rate: 108 of them. That was a huge problem until this year. In 14 1/3 innings at Triple-A Round Rock he fanned 25 and walked only three.
The Rangers believe the 6-foot-1, 205-pound right-hander has harnessed his fastball that tops out at 98 mph. His next best pitch is a mid-80s slider that also underwent tinkering and improved a year ago. He also throws a curveball and mixes in an occasional changeup. Being able to change speeds would enhance his development greatly.
Father-Son Pitchers
There are many instances of a son following his father to a big-league mound. Only one family has had three generations pitch in the majors. All were right-handers.
Joe Coleman pitched for three teams from 1942 until 1955. He made the 1948 All-Star Team, when he had a 14-13 record for the Philadelphia Phillies.
Joe Jr. had a 142-135 mark for seven teams from 1965 until 1979, mostly for Detroit. In 1971-73, he won 20, 19 and 23 games for the Tigers. In the 1972 AL Championship Series, he fanned 14 in a complete-game shutout of the eventual World Series champion Oakland Athletics.
Casey Coleman completed the family triumvirate by pitching in 58 games for the Chicago Cubs, 2010-12, and Kansas City Royals, 2014.
One Dad, Two Sons
Mel Stottlemyre and sons Mel and Todd had a combined record of 302-261.
Mel went 164-139 for the Yankees (1964-74). He won 20 or more three times and was a five-time all-star. “Little Mel”, a first-round choice by the Houston Astros in 1985, worked in only 13 games in the majors, all for the 1990 Kansas City Royals.
Todd Stottlemyre was a two-time selection in the first round. He did not sign with the St. Louis Cardinals but did with the Toronto Blue Jays. He helped Toronto win the World Series in 1992 and 1993. Overall with five teams from 1988 thru 2002, he had a 138-121 record.
Bagbys Bagged Wins
Jim Bagby and son Jim were dominant pitchers for the Cleveland Indians. Dad went 122-86 for Cleveland over seven years between a rookie year in Cincinnati and finale in Pittsburgh for a 127-89 mark overall. He was incredible for the 1920 World Champion Indians, going 31-12 and pitching 339 2/3 innings, which included 30 complete games. It was really a different era. While he issued only 79 walks, that was more than his paltry 73 strikeouts.
He went 1-1 with a 1.80 ERA in the World Series – where he made history as the first pitcher to hit a home run in the Fall Classic.
“Little Jim”, who at 6-foot-2, was two inches taller than his father, had a 97-96 career mark for three teams from 1938 thru 1947. While with Cleveland, he was an AL all-star in 1942 and 1943, going a combined 34-23 those two years.
Following a Great-Grandfather
Drew Pomeranz and brother Stu followed in the footsteps of great-grandfather Garland Buckeye. Drew, a first-round pick by Cleveland in 2010, never pitched for the Indians. He was dealt to Colorado and was with six teams overall until 2021. Stu worked in three games for Baltimore in 2012.
Their grand-pappy pitched for the Washington Senators in 1918, Cleveland (1925-28) and one final game for the New York Giants.
His overall record was 30-39. We know that much for sure. His height was listed anywhere from 6-0 to 6-6 and weight from 200 pounds to 260 – depending on which source you read.
Buckeye also played right guard in 40 games overall in the early years of the National Football League. In 1920, he was with the Chicago Tigers. He switched to the Chicago Cardinals the next season and played until 1924, then went back to baseball.
Signed by Cleveland, he was heralded as “The Indians’ Bambino” by the Cleveland Plain Dealer, which compared the large Buckeye to the great Babe Ruth because of their similar body types. Buckeye hit an un-Bambinolike five homers and had a .230 average in 204 career at-bats.
