Jackson Leath

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #445 prospect in 2021 draft
  Leath only threw 6.1 innings this season thanks to a hamstring injury that shut him down the rest of the way, but he’s dominated hitters in the brief time he’s been on the mound over the last two years at Tennessee. While he’s thrown just 25 innings for the Volunteers after transferring in from Blinn (Texas) College, Leath has a career 1.08 ERA with 37 strikeouts (13.3 K/9) and just seven walks (2.5 BB/9). He pitches in the low 90s with his fastball and can get to 94-95 mph but used a power breaking ball in the low 80s as his primary pitch and he’s gotten enough swing and miss with the offering to project it as above-average. Leath has a reliever look but a real weapon with his breaking ball.
• Ranked #238 prospect in 2020 draft
  Leath spent two years at Blinn (Texas) JC before transferring to Tennessee for what might have been a breakout junior campaign in the SEC, but the coronavirus wiped out his opportunity to perform on a bigger stage. Leath had interest from MLB teams after posting a 2.93 ERA over 10 starts and earning XIV All-Conference honors during his sophomore season but opted to head join the Volunteers. A 6-foot-1, 181-pound righthander, Leath has a reliever profile thanks to a mature body and effortful delivery, but he has impressive stuff. His fastball sits in the 92-96 mph range and is complemented by a slider that looks like a wipeout offering at its best, but other times is just average. Most scouts peg it as a 55-grade pitch on the whole, and Leath has also worked with a cutter and fringy changeup as well. Leath was used as a starter and a reliever this spring, when he posted a 1.45 ERA over 18.2 innings and struck out 29 batters while walking five.