As the calendar flipped to June, the Texas Rangers found themselves four games out of the AL West, trying to chase down the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros. Part of the reason the Rangers have yet to be taken as serious contenders in 2025 is because of their inconsistent offense.
Instead of focusing on their offensive question marks, we feel that some light should be shed on a veteran starting pitcher who is reviving his career right in front of our eyes. Jacob deGrom is putting the Rangers in a position to win every fifth day (even if they don't score a lot of runs) and is proving his contract was worth it after all.
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Jacob deGrom on an impressive run to start 2025
After nine seasons with the New York Mets and countless accolades, Jacob deGrom earned himself a five-year, $185 million contract with the Texas Rangers. While no one would argue deGrom's value when he is healthy, many felt this deal was a risky move by the Rangers and that the right-hander would spend more time on the IL than the mound. Through his first two seasons with the Rangers, they were right.
deGrom pitched only six games in 2023 and only three games in 2024. In his first year of his contract with Texas, deGrom underwent Tommy John surgery early in the season which led to a long recovery process. He later returned to a big league mound in September of 2024 and has remained healthy ever since.
Now that deGrom has found his stride, he is turning back the clocks to his prime. After a brilliant performance on Sunday, deGrom has now gone nine consecutive starts where he has allowed two runs or less. He is now 5-2 with a 2.34 ERA on the season.
With the offense holding back a little bit for Bruce Bochy, it has been like a security blanket to have deGrom at his best recently. If he continues this run, we could see him make his fifth All-Star Game this season and be a vital piece in the Rangers' playoff push.