Earlier this month, Jacob deGrom and the Rangers agreed to a 5-year deal. After spending 9 seasons with the New York Mets, deGrom decided to move to Texas. The Rangers have spent a lot of money signing free agents in the offseason these 2 years. After watching the news that deGrom signed a contract with the Rangers, I was just wondering whether this deal would be a great one.
Jacob deGrom made his MLB debut in 2014. In his rookie season, he made 22 starts for the Mets. He posted a 2.69 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP over 140.1 innings. He had a great start in his career and won the 2014 NL Rookie of the Year award. Additionally, deGrom won the NL Cy Young award twice. In 2018, deGrom tossed 217 innings, posting a great 1.70 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP. Opponents only batted .196 against deGrom. The next year, he threw 204 innings and owned a 2.43 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP. During these 9 seasons with the New York Mets, deGrom made 209 starts. He owned a 2.52 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. Moreover, he struck out 1607 batters.
Jacob deGrom is surely one of the most dominant pitchers in the majors. But, will he pitch well in Texas?
Well, deGrom never pitched at Globe Life field before. But, he used to pitch at the Globe Life Park once. However, deGrom didn’t pitch well in that game. He gave up 8 runs in 4 innings.
In addition, deGrom made 26 starts against AL teams. He posted a 3.11 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP in 167.2 innings. Furthermore, let’s see whether he pitched well against AL West teams.
Previously, deGrom didn’t have too many opportunities to pitch against AL West teams. In particular, he never pitched against the Astros. But, he used to pitch against the Angels, the A’s and the Mariners. He made 1 start against the Angels and he did pitch well. He tossed 7 innings and didn’t allow any runs. Nonetheless, he was hit hard by the Athletics. On September 24, 2022, Jacob deGrom allowed 1 home run and gave up 5 runs against the A’s in 4 innings. Moreover, he made 2 starts against the Mariners, allowing 4 runs (3 earned) in 13 innings. In total, he gave up 9 runs (8 earned) against AL West teams in 24 innings.
When healthy, there’s no doubt that deGrom is one of the most dominant pitchers in the MLB. However, he’s already 34 years old and his health might be the most important factor to the Rangers. In 2021, deGrom only made 15 starts and threw 92 innings. This season, he only made 11 starts and tossed 64.1 innings. He did spend significant time on the IL these 2 years and the Rangers certainly don’t want to see that happen. The 2020 season was a shortened season, hence, the last time that deGrom tossed 200+ innings in a single season was in 2019. Well, deGrom hasn’t pitched at least 100 innings in a single season for a while. So, let’s see how many innings he will throw for the Rangers in 2023.
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