Mark Leiter (leitema02)

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Mark Edward Leiter Jr.

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Biographical Information[edit]

Mark Leiter is the son of Mark Leiter and was born in 1991 in Fort Lauderdale, FL while his father was playing in spring training for the New York Yankees, a few days before he was traded to the Detroit Tigers. He is also the nephew of Al Leiter and Kurt Leiter, and a first cousin of Jack Leiter.

He was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 22nd round of the 2013 amateur draft and played for three different teams that first year, the GCL Phillies, the Lakewood Blue Claws and the Clearwater Threshers, going a combined 4-0, 1.20 in 16 games. In 2014, he went 9-12, 4.36 in 27 games, all as a starter, between Clearwater and Lakewood. In 148 2/3 innings, he struck out 141 batters and walked 37. In 2015, he was 8-7, 3.09 in 27 games between Clearwater and the Reading Fightin Phils of the AA Eastern League. He was a mid-season All-Star in the Florida State League that season. He then spent all of 2016 with Reading, with a record of 6-3, 3.39 in 23 games, including 17 starts. He continued to exhibit superior control, with 94 Ks and 30 walks in 103 2/3 innings.

Mark began the 2017 season with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, his first time pitching in AAA. He had a 1.69 ERA in 5 1/3 innings when he was called up to the big club for the first time on April 18th, but he did not make his debut until April 28th, when he pitched a perfect inning of relief in a 5-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Overall, he appeared in 27 games as a rookie, including 11 starts, pitching 90 2/3 innings. He went 3-6, 4.96 and notched 84 strikeouts. In 2018, he made 12 relief appearances for Philadelphia and also pitched in the minors, then on September 1st was claimed on waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays, with whom he pitched in another 8 games. He went a combined 0-1, 7.71 in 23 1/3 innings between the two teams.

Mark then went through a rough patch over the next few years, first missing all of 2019 with an injury, then, after signing as a free agent with the Arizona Diamondbacks in February of 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic struck. As the majors were on hold and there was uncertainty about whether there would even be a season, many organizations decided to get rid of non-essential players and he paid the price on May 22nd, being handed his unconditional release. It took him until March of 2021 to find another team, in this case the Detroit Tigers and he spent all of that season in the minor leagues, finally getting to pitch after a two-year hiatus. He did pretty well, going 10-8, 3.77 in 25 games, including 19 starts, between the AA Erie Sea Wolves and AAA Toledo Mud Hens. However, he was now 30 and the Tigers were building for the future, so he had to find another team after that season.

The Chicago Cubs gave him a contract in 2022, but after starting the year in AAA with the Iowa Cubs, he was brought up to Chicago by mid-April. He shuttled a few times between the minors and majors that season, going 0-3, 5.32 in 6 starts at Iowa, and 2-7, 3.99 in 35 games with Chicago, only 4 of which were starts. He also saved 3 games and struck out 73 batters in 67 2/3 innings. In 2023, he finally got to spend a full season in the majors at age 32. His 69 outings in relief that season were the 10th most in the National League and he went 1-3, 3.50 with 4 saves, logging 64 1/3 innings and striking 77 opponents. He was back in the Cubs' bullpen at the start of the 2024 season.

When his first cousin Jack made his major league debut in 2024, it marked the first time in history that two brothers who had both played in the majors - in this case his father Mark Sr. and Al - both had a son who had played in MLB.

Further Reading[edit]

  • Keegan Matheson: "Thrust into ALCS action, Leiter Jr. makes his Mark", mlb.com, October 18, 2024. [1]
  • Brian Murphy: "Why Jack Leiter's first MLB pitch will be historic", mlb.com, April 18, 2024. [2]

Related Sites[edit]

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