The Texas Rangers are looking to bounce back from a dreadful 2024 season. They started the year hanging their first World Series banner in franchise history and ended with 78 wins. Eyes are on the pitching staff this spring, as they lost Max Scherzer to the Toronto Blue Jays but are getting Jacob deGrom back from injury. MLB Network's Jon Morosi says that the Rangers may be adding Vanderbilt teammates Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker to their opening-day roster.

“I am going to pay very close attention this spring to Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter in Rangers camp,” Morosi said on Hot Stove. “Both have a chance to break camp with the club because of the dynamics of their starting rotation.”

After speaking about the pitching injuries in Texas last season, Morosi says, “If they can, especially in the case of Leiter, live in the strike zone a little more, there is a path for both of them to make this team out of camp or potentially join the rotation early on in the season because of their talent.”

After a disastrous 2024 season from their rotation, the Rangers could get great performances out of these first-round picks. But is a risky proposition in a year they have a serious chance at making the postseason.

What should the Rangers expect from Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker?

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The Rangers signed Jacob deGrom to the $185 million contract before the 2023 season. He has pitched in 34 games in those two seasons but should be back healthy to start this year. He had some of the greatest pitching seasons in recent memory with the Mets and could be in the Cy Young race this year.

Throwing two youngsters behind a proven veteran is a smart way to deploy their top prospects. They won't have the pressure of pitching on opening day or getting massive assignments in big games. But they will pitch against MLB-caliber talent on a nightly basis. They were both drafted in the first round for a reason and the Rangers should take advantage of having both.

Leiter's path to the big leagues was simple compared to Rocker's. He was taken second overall in 2021 after a great sophomore year at Vanderbilt. He went to AA Frisco in 2022 and rose to the Rangers in 2024. His first MLB season was rough, with an 8.83 ERA in nine appearances.

Rocker made his way to the Rangers through the 2022 draft, where he was taken third overall. But he was picked in 2021 by the Mets and failed his physical. After Tommy John surgery in 2023, he made his MLB debut in 2024 and could make the team this spring.