Where the Stars of Tomorrow Shine Tonight!

Article By: Brian Butler

The Leiter name carries a lot of weight in the baseball world, which is something Orleans Firebirds pitcher Cam Leiter knows very well. Cam’s father Kurt, as well as two of his uncles, Al and Mark Sr., played professional baseball. Growing up in a household where baseball was a big factor, Leiter did everything he could to absorb the breadth of baseball knowledge around him.

“It was a huge, pivotal thing in my baseball process and just as a human being,” said Leiter of his experiences as a child.

Cam realized at a young age that he had a lot of baseball wisdom surrounding him, and he and his cousins did everything they could to be sponges to it.

“All the knowledge that they received and all the years of excellence that they [had] just gets passed down to the younger generations of us like me [and my cousins] Jack and Mark Jr. I’m the youngest one, so I just tried to take everyone’s success and put it in my mind. Hopefully I can do something great with it.”

Although his family has had enormous success in the game of baseball, Cam is the first member of the Leiter family to appear in a Cape League game. His cousin Jack was slated to pitch for the Firebirds in the 2020 season that ultimately was canceled, paving the way for Cam to make the first appearance this summer.

“You know we had to get at least one of the Leiter boys to get here and pitch a couple innings. I’m learning a lot [right now].”

As the first member of his family to enjoy a summer on Cape, Leiter is trying to appreciate everything that comes with that opportunity. When he’s not at the baseball field, he spends time at the Cape’s beaches and tries to take in as much of the experience as possible.

Cam aspires of carrying on his family’s legacy of pitching in the big leagues, something that his cousins Jack and Mark are carrying on with the Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs, respectively. Leiter mentioned that he hopes to one day be part of a pitching staff with his cousins.

“It’d be really cool with them. All three of us [having] a Leiter thing would be cool, but whatever happens, happens. Just trying to let it play out like it’s supposed to and be the best human being I can be.”

Although Leiter isn’t yet draft eligible, he looks poised to carry on that legacy. After a freshman season at Central Florida where he posted a 12.7 K/9 rate, Cam is ready to have a strong summer on the Cape and continue learning as much as he can in the process.

While his family’s name carries a lot of weight in the industry, Cam is set to prove he’s his own man and ready to go when his name is called.