How Jacob deGrom is using a new pitch to revitalize his career

Jacob deGrom has been mauling hitters with fastballs and sliders since I was in middle school. But it’s a brave new world for both of us, and deGrom is asking a scary question — for himself and for the hitters who are, by now, used to getting mauled by the aforementioned fastballs and sliders: how about a changeup?

This isn't peak deGrom, but he has a new way to make an impact

Peak Jacob deGrom (2018-2021) was a four-year horror movie. Nobody had any chance, particularly in 2021 when, before going down with injury, he posted a 1.08 ERA and was probably the most dominant any pitcher has ever been. His changeup was doing work back then, but he threw it less than he had in 2018 and 2019. It was an excellent mix-up pitch, but 2021 was four-seam fastball o’clock. As my colleague (and noted Mets fan) Zach Rotman told me, peak deGrom would just throw fastball after fastball the first time through the order and run everybody over. But these days, it looked like he had abandoned the changeup as a main part of his arsenal — it would be a bit player.

What ensued was an unlucky streak of injuries before deGrom finally returned in 2025 for his first healthy season in years. And he’s been pitching well this year too; see if you can spot the difference between now and 2022, his last qualified season before 2025.

The 2025 campaign looks pretty similar to 2022, and see that little bar that reads “offspeed run value”? Well, the changeup is deGrom’s only offspeed pitch … and he’s getting significantly more value out of it than his fastball for the first time ever. He’s throwing it more than he has since his peak years, and if we just talk correlation, you could pretty clearly state that deGrom changeup usage = cash money.

I know what you’re thinking: “cool man, so Jacob deGrom is throwing more changeups and pitching better, why on earth do I care?” Well, snarky hypothetical person, here’s why: Older pitchers making minor pitching adjustments can often be the difference between retirement and continuing to make an impact. For example, Justin Verlander introduced a random sweeper at the age of 41 and promptly began destroying people with it because they were so freaked out by this old dude suddenly throwing a sweeper. 

Jacob DeGrom's adjustment could keep him relevant into his late 30s

Meanwhile, Verlander’s contemporaries failed to adapt. Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer, two other surefire Hall of Famers, kept their pitch mix relatively consistent throughout their careers and had a much sharper and earlier decline. Verlander fought like hell to stay relevant (he’s still pitching at 43, by the way, and is about to be activated from the IL) and deGrom is going to need to do that to extend his impact.

He may also need to fight for his legacy, since deGrom is hardly a slam-dunk Hall of Famer right now; he has 50 career WAR, well shy of the 70+ that usually guarantees election. But no pitcher this century — not Kershaw, not Verlander, not Scherzer — has been as singularly dominant as deGrom was in 2018 and 2021. No pitcher in history struck out more guys while walking fewer; deGrom has the highest K/BB ration in MLB history. That has to count for something.

I’m not 100 percent sure deGrom can keep up this effectiveness with a pedestrian fastball, but the 38-year-old (happy birthday by the way), is working with his physical tools and figuring out how to impact the game. And it’s just more fun if deGrom is awesome; while ground balls are all the rage, at his peak deGrom was walking nobody and striking out everyone. That’s what we all imagine a pitcher to be, and I don’t want it to end just yet.

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