MLB Pipeline Mock Draft has Vandy arm to Texas

MLB Pipeline has a mock 2021 MLB Draft out, and they project the Texas Rangers selecting Vanderbilt righthanded pitcher Jack Leiter at #2.

The mock drafts that have been out there recently have generally had Texas selecting shortstop Jordan Lawlar out of Dallas Jesuit, but Jim Callis & Co. have Lawlar going first overall to the Pittsburgh Pirates. That would leave the Rangers choosing between the two Vandy pitchers — Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker — and California prep shortstop Marcelo Mayer, who are generally considered to be, along with Lawlar, the top tier in this draft currently.

Leiter’s early season success had some folks touting him as a clear #1 pick for 2021, but Leiter has been home prone of late, and Callis notes scouts “wonder” how he will handle the workload of being a starter over a full college season, given he is a redshirt sophomore whose only prior college season was cut very short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Leiter’s relatively small stature — BA lists him at 6’0”, 190 lbs., while B-R has him at 6’1”, 205 lbs, either way small for a righthanded pitcher — has led to some concerns about his durability.

The draft is still over two months away — day one is July 11 — so there will no doubt be more movement and changes, and we could see some other players possibly enter that top tier of players listed above. As things stand, though, the Rangers should have several very strong options available to them at #2.