After a lights-out showing throughout Spring Training, it appears that the White Sox are rewarding Jordan Leasure for his efforts.
Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reported Sunday that the White Sox are adding Leasure to their Opening Day roster. After spending his entire professional career in the minors, the right-hander will officially make his MLB debut early in the 2024 season.
Leasure, 25, has yet to give up a run through nine appearances in Spring Training, pitching 8.1 innings and striking out nine batters. Rated as the 18th best prospect in the White Sox farm system according to MLB Pipeline, and also cracking Sox On 35th’s Top 30 prospects, Leasure has the stuff to be a high-leverage reliever for a long time at the MLB level. That stuff has been on full display for the past month, as he has been a force for opposing hitters to deal with.
Leasure pairs a fastball that can touch triple digits with an upper 80s slider that can miss plenty of bats. This arsenal has allowed him to strike out batters with ease at all minor league levels he has appeared in, with a career 13.50 K/9 rate through 117.1 innings dating back to 2021. While he can stand to clean up his control and lower the amount of free passes he gives up, it has become clear that he has little development left in the minors, and is ready for a role in an MLB bullpen.
It is yet to be seen if he will be given any opportunities to close out games, as Grifol has previously stated that Leasure has proven himself, as a high-leverage option, but wouldn’t commit to him being used solely in the ninth inning. What is clear, however, is that the White Sox organization is high on Leasure both as a bullpen option in 2024 and for the next several years.
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Featured image: @MLBPipeline
