Jacob deGrom retakes place among top MLB aces in first full season post-surgery
Nearly 31,000 fans, some donned in their white Rangers jerseys with No. 48 on the back, piled into Globe Life Field on Tuesday to watch Texas pitching ace Jacob deGrom.
They watched another display of the competitiveness and consistency deGrom and the Rangers’ pitching staff had modeled all year.
Fittingly, on deGrom’s jersey night.
“If you look at the recipe for being a winning pitcher in the big leagues,” Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux said prior to deGrom’s start on Tuesday. “It’s not sexy, but it’s simple. Command the fastball and change speeds. Nobody commands the fastball better than Jacob deGrom. That’s what makes him so special. Not only does he have a great fastball, he puts it in good spots time and time again.”
DeGrom, in his 17th start, notched his ninth win of the season. In six innings in a 10-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles. He allowed two earned runs on five hits, allowing just one walk while striking out six.
Reaching expectations
That start and this season’s successes are exactly what the Rangers were hopeful of getting from deGrom when he signed a $185 million, five-year contract prior to the 2023 season.
DeGrom’s signing occurred a season after the Rangers were willing to open their pocketbook and spend to bolster their infield with massive free agent signings of Corey Seager and Marcus Simien and rotation.
He was expected to be the ace of a pitching staff that would carry the team deep into the 2023 playoffs. Instead, he spent most of the year on the injured list and watched from the dugout as the Rangers won the first World Seirs championship in franchise history.
In each of his last four starts, the veteran right-hander has gone at least six innings, allowing no more than two earned runs while striking out 25 and walking four. Among all starters in Major League Baseball, deGrom is third in ERA with a 2.13. Opposing batters are hitting just .191 against him.
“Jacob was Jacob,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said following the game. “He settled down and gave us six solid innings.”
Prior to the game, Bochy spoke on what it was like to watch deGrom go out and pitch.
“He makes it look so easy with his delivery,” Bochy said. “And the command of the stuff.”
It’s these types of performance that brings back memories of his nine seasons with the New York Mets, where he won two Cy Young Awards and posted a 82-57 record with a 2.52ERA. However arm injuries limited him to just 38 games over his final three seasons (2020-22) in New York.
The injury pattern followed him to Arlington.
Tough start in Arlington
DeGrom made only six starts with the Rangers in 2023 — compiling a 2.67 ERA with 45 strikeouts and four walks in 30.1 innings — before being shut down with right elbow inflammation.
When the Rangers announced in June 2023 that he would undergo Tommy John surgery for the second time in his career, many questions loomed over whether he’d get back to his old self.
For deGrom, however, the goal was clear.
“When you’re sidelined for that long, what you wanna do is compete,” deGrom said.
DeGrom returned in September 2024, pitching in three games with a 1.69 ERA, 14 strikeouts, and one walk in 10.1 innings.
Maddux credits deGrom’s experience and maturity throughout his second Tommy John surgery and the Rangers’ medical staff for getting deGrom back on the mound.
“It’s unfortunate that he had to undergo it a second time,” Maddux said, “The experience that he had in going through it once helped him in the second time. He was in good hands with the medical team. They’ve rehabbed many of them. He did everything they asked him to do. He knew what he wanted to do. He respected the time it would take, and he’s come back.”
Perfect role model
Maddux also believes the veteran presence of deGrom is having a positive impact on the team’s younger pitchers. Maddux notes that deGrom’s focus on the location of the pitches over numbers and metrics is changing their perspective on their approach to throwing.
“If you put good stuff down the middle, hitters will let you know if it’s a good pitch or not,” Maddux said. “Usually, it’s what the hitters are looking for. But you put good stuff in good spots? Wow, you run the table, and that’s what Jake does. I think that’s what the young guys see. Like, ‘Wow, I gotta be more like Jake’.”
The pitching staff has delivered for the Rangers so far this season.
Texas starters lead the entire league with a 3.25 ERA, with batters hitting just .223 against them. Rangers relievers rank in the top five in ERA with a 3.39. They are also third in walks allowed and opponents hitting .232 against them.
Following Tuesday’s game, deGrom spoke on the role he and his fellow starters played and the bullpen’s prowess this season.
“As the starters, we’re trying to set the tone,” deGrom said. “And we’re very comfortable passing it on to the bullpen guys from what they’ve been able to do this year.”
While Maddux stops short of calling this season the best he’s seen from deGrom, he emphasized his dominance.
“Now we’ve seen it 14 times or so and it’s getting better each time out,” Maddux said. “This is his rehab year, and he’s getting better and stronger each time out. What we’ve seen so far is really, really good.”
The Rangers’ clubhouse acknowledged the pure dominance and impact deGrom has had on the team so far this season.
Catcher Jonah Heim notes deGrom makes his job easier and that the offense strives to pour on the runs when their guys are on the mound.
“He makes my job really easy,” Heim said. “I sit back there, catch the ball and throw to third base after he strikes people out.”
“He’s one of the best pitchers in the league,” outfielder Adolis García said. “So every time he goes out there, we just have fun.”
When deGrom is on the mound, the Rangers have outscored their opponents 94-39 and have a 12-5 record. When he doesn’t start, the team is several games below .500.
The Rangers are currently in fourth place in the AL West. As of July 2, FanGraphs says the Rangers have a 20.2% chance of making the playoffs.
With a little less than half of the season left, continued consistency on the mound and an offensive resurgence at the plate could boost those odds.
And a healthy deGrom, whose next start is scheduled for Monday, July 7, in Anaheim against the Angels, certainly gives them a healthy chance.
This story was originally published July 3, 2025 at 10:27 AM.
