Jose Leclerc

Jose Leclerc

29-Year-Old PitcherRP
Texas Rangers
2023 Fantasy Outlook
Leclerc finally returned last season, overcoming a 2020 shoulder strain, then Tommy John surgery the subsequent year. He made his season debut in mid-June and spent about two months pitching in lower-leverage scenarios to regain his footing after the extended absence. The right-hander's fastball velocity (96.5 mph on average) was in line with his pre-injury seasons, but he gave up a poor .298 BA and .579 SLG on the pitch. Despite those poor results, Leclerc's slider and changeup were excellent, both producing whiff rates over 42%. By mid-August, he was back in the mix for saves and finished the year with seven, including six of the Rangers' final eight saves. After Texas picked up Leclerc's $6 million team option for 2023, we can tentatively pencil him into the closer chair, but this bullpen is under construction and roles could fluctuate. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
#213
ADP
$Signed a four-year, $14.75 million contract extension with the Rangers in March of 2019. Rangers exercised $6 million team option for 2023 in November of 2022. Contract includes $6.25 million team option ($750,000 buyout) for 2024.
Velocity down Wednesday
PTexas Rangers
March 23, 2023
Leclerc's fastball ranged from 92 to 94 mph Wednesday, down from the 96.5 mph it averaged in 2022, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.
ANALYSIS
Leclerc finished off Wednesday's spring game for the save, so reduced velocity doesn't necessarily mean he can't close games. That's something manager Bruce Bochy understands and about which he's not concerned, according to Grant. Leclerc cut down on fastball usage last season while increasing his slider and changeup. What he needs to do is fool batters with the change or have them chasing sliders outside the zone. If not, Leclerc will get behind in counts and may throw fastballs in hitters' counts. He's walked four batters in 6.2 Cactus League innings, so there are signs trouble, but he's managed to avoid damage with no earned runs allowed. In the event Leclerc doesn't pan out as the closer, Bochy could turn to Will Smith or non-roster invitee Ian Kennedy to save games.
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Pitching Stats
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2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2022 MLB Game Log
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2021 MLB Game Log
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2020 MLB Game Log
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2019 MLB Game Log
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2018 MLB Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
20
Last 10 Games
20
Last 5 Games
21
How many pitches does Jose Leclerc generally throw?
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
What part of the game does Jose Leclerc generally pitch?
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2020
 
 
-12%
BAA vs LHP
2022
 
 
-17%
BAA vs LHP
2021
No Stats
2020
 
 
-100%
BAA vs RHP
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2020vs Left .182 107 29 17 16 8 0 3
Since 2020vs Right .207 101 28 6 19 3 0 2
2022vs Left .173 98 26 15 14 7 0 3
2022vs Right .209 100 28 6 19 3 0 2
2021vs Left 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2021vs Right 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2020vs Left .286 9 3 2 2 1 0 0
2020vs Right .000 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
More Splits View More Split Stats
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2020
 
 
-26%
ERA on Road
2022
 
 
-24%
ERA on Road
2021
No Stats
2020
 
 
-100%
ERA on Road
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2020Home 3.29 1.13 27.1 0 3 5 11.5 4.0 1.3
Since 2020Away 2.42 1.21 22.1 0 0 3 8.9 4.4 0.4
2022Home 3.20 1.07 25.1 0 3 4 11.4 3.6 1.4
2022Away 2.42 1.21 22.1 0 0 3 8.9 4.4 0.4
2021Home 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2021Away 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2020Home 4.50 2.00 2.0 0 0 1 13.5 9.0 0.0
2020Away 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
More Splits View More Split Stats
Stat Review
How does Jose Leclerc compare to other relievers?
This section compares his stats with all relief pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 30 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 30 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • K/BB
    Strikeout to walk ratio.
  • K/9
    Average strikeouts per nine innings.
  • BB/9
    Average walks per nine innings.
  • HR/9
    Average home runs allowed per nine innings.
  • Fastball
    Average fastball velocity.
  • ERA
    Earned run average. The average earned runs allowed per nine innings.
  • WHIP
    Walks plus hits per inning pitched.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many balls in play against a pitcher go for hits.
  • GB/FB
    Groundball to flyball ratio. The higher the number, the more likely a pitcher is to induce groundballs.
  • Left On Base
    The percentage of base runners that a pitcher strands on base over the course of a season.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Barrels/BBE
    The percentage of batted ball events resulting in a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Spin Rate
    Spin Rate is the rate of spin on a baseball after it is released. It is measured in revolutions per minute (rpm).
  • Balls Hit 95+ MPH
    The percentage of batted balls hit that met or exceeded the 95 MPH threshold.
  • Swinging Strike
    The percentage of pitches that result in a swing and a miss.
K/BB
2.57
 
K/9
10.2
 
BB/9
4.0
 
HR/9
0.9
 
Fastball
96.5 mph
 
ERA
2.83
 
WHIP
1.13
 
BABIP
.258
 
GB/FB
0.55
 
Left On Base
78.7%
 
Exit Velocity
79.0 mph
 
Barrels/BBE
3.9%
 
Spin Rate
2554 rpm
 
Balls Hit 95+ MPH
19.1%
 
Swinging Strike
17.3%
 
Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
Leclerc began the season as the Rangers' closer, notching a save in the second game of the season. He only appeared in one more game before being placed on the 45-day IL with a Grade 2 strain of the teres major in his right shoulder. Leclerc was ruled out for the season in early September. He did not undergo surgery, so we won't know how healthy his shoulder is until he starts throwing this spring. If healthy, he'll be a top candidate to close for a Rangers team that traded Rafael Montero and looks primed to embrace a rebuild. To recapture the job, Leclerc will need to hone his control as walks have always been his Achilles' heel. While there's a chance Leclerc ends up in the saves picture, Jonathan Hernandez, Demarcus Evans and others will provide competition for the role in spring training.
The Rangers inked Leclerc to an extension March 6 after his breakout 2018 season. He was out as the closer less than two months later, though manager Chris Woodward was insistent the demotion was temporary and indeed Leclerc did return to closing after the trade deadline. At the end of April, Leclerc had an 8.44 ERA and nine walks in 10.2 innings, with two blown saves in seven chances before being relieved of ninth-inning duties. Things were a bit smoother for Leclerc over the final two months, as he went 9-for-10 in save chances with a 4.29 ERA, though the walk issues were still very much prevalent. For his career, Leclerc has a 15 BB%, and it can be argued his 2018 was driven by exceedingly good HR/FB luck. Emmanuel Clase emerged down the stretch and looked like a real threat to Leclerc's closing job in 2020, but Clase was traded to Cleveland in the offseason, affording Leclerc more breathing room.
Thanks to his poor finish to the 2017 campaign, Leclerc spent the first month of the 2018 season shuttling between Triple-A Round Rock and the majors. The right-hander ultimately emerged as one of the Rangers' primary setup men in May following a stretch of seven scoreless appearances, and his continued success earned him the closer's role after Keone Kela was dealt to Pittsburgh at the end of July. Leclerc was dominant after taking over in the ninth inning, converting all 12 of his save chances while notching a 29:6 K:BB across 18 scoreless innings. His improved control was key to his breakout season, as he dropped his walk rate to 3.9 BB/9 after posting a 7.9 BB/9 over his first two seasons. Leclerc figures to reprise his role as closer to begin 2019, and while his save chances may be limited on a rebuilding team, the 24-year-old should still provide value with his impressive ratios (1.56 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 13.3 K/9 in 2018).
Midway through his rookie season, the 24-year-old Leclerc appeared as though he might be the best reliever in the Texas bullpen and seemed primed to get a look as closer after Matt Bush was pulled from the role in late June. Alas, Alex Claudio ultimately captured closing duties, while Leclerc's second-half implosion effectively resulted in manager Jeff Banister dropping him from the setup ranks. Finding the strike zone was the foremost problem for Leclerc, who finished with a 20:24 K:BB in 19.1 innings after the break. An 11.8 K/9 rate and .146 batting average against speaks to the upside Leclerc possesses when he's able to throw strikes, but he may be in need of some mechanical adjustments, considering his issues with walking batters were also prevalent throughout his minor-league career. Until Leclerc demonstrates significant improvement with his control, the Rangers aren't likely to trust him as a key cog of the bridge to the ninth inning.
Leclerc continues to climb up the Rangers' prospect ranks thanks to another strong showing in the minor leagues. He began the season with Double-A Frisco, but his 10.96 K/9 n 23 innings earned him a promotion to the Triple-A ranks. The 23-year-old continued fanning batters during his time at Round Rock, as he held a 10.5 K/9 and an ERA 80 points better than at his previous stop. All of this culminated in a September call-up, when he held his own with one strikeout per inning. Not everything was perfect for the right-hander, however. His control still leaves much to be desired, shown by his 51 walks across the three levels. His 0.65 GB/FB with Texas also doesn't read well for a pitcher who will eventually pitch in one of the most hitter-friendly environments in the American League. Of course, Leclerc should be afforded the opportunity to compete for a major league roster spot out of spring training, although he will likely be given additional time at Triple-A to begin the season with the goal of improving his command.
More Fantasy News
Escapes jam, creates another
PTexas Rangers
March 17, 2023
Leclerc allowed one hit and two walks while striking out three over 1.1 scoreless relief innings in Thursday's spring game against the Dodgers.
ANALYSIS
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Makes 'B' game appearance
PTexas Rangers
Neck
March 7, 2023
Leclerc (neck) threw 14 pitches in a scoreless inning in a "B" game Tuesday, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
ANALYSIS
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Throws bullpen Sunday
PTexas Rangers
Neck
March 6, 2023
Leclerc (neck) threw a bullpen session Sunday, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.
ANALYSIS
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Pulls out of World Baseball Classic
PTexas Rangers
Neck
March 2, 2023
Manager Bruce Bochy said Thursday that Leclerc (neck) will no longer play for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Dealing with neck tightness
PTexas Rangers
Neck
March 1, 2023
Rangers general manager Chris Young said Wednesday that Leclerc is dealing with left neck discomfort, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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