Jacob deGrom made his first spring training start as a Texas Ranger on Sunday, and it could not have gone better, as he lit up the Seattle Mariners.
The newly acquired Rangers ace Jacob deGrom wasted no time getting to work with the team, as he lit up the stat sheet in his spring debut on Sunday against the Seattle Mariners.
The flamethrowing right-hander went three scoreless innings, allowing only two hits while punching out four.
Although we don’t have Statcast data and advanced stats since the game was not openly televised, deGrom was able to touch 99 on a strikeout to Jarred Kelenic, as he threw 28 strikes on only 34 pitches.
However, one of the two hits he allowed to the M’s was actually a triple hit by Kelenic. It was followed up by two consecutive strikeouts to Cal Raleigh on a slider in the dirt and Cooper Hummel on a good high fastball.
deGrom already looks dominant as advertised for the Rangers
deGrom, who signed for five years and $185 million, joins as the new leader of a completely revamped pitching staff, which now includes the likes of Martin Perez, Andrew Heaney, Jon Gray, and Nathan Eovaldi. That group puts the Rangers in the thick of a tight American League West division race, feautring the Astros, Angels, and Mariners, and a deeply contested wild card race in the American League.
As deGrom makes appearances for the first time away from the Mets organization, it will be interesting to see if he can stay healthy. He has largely failed to have an entirely healthy season as a Major Leaguer (excluding shortened 2020 season) and he’s already dealt with injury concerns in spring training.
From the short flashes of brilliancy we have seen from deGrom over the years in his time with the New York Mets, a fully healthy season could really carry his legacy further, and maybe even give him a shot at the Hall of Fame.