ARLINGTON, Texas — Jacob deGrom, a two-time winner of the prestigious Cy Young Award, has already begun throwing off the mound this offseason. He reported that all felt normal following a significant absence in his first two years with the Texas Rangers due to elbow surgery.
Last September, deGrom made three starts, each of which held substantial meaning for him. “That way I could treat it like a normal offseason and not feel like I was in rehab mode the whole time,” he shared during the team’s annual Fan Fest. “So that’s what this offseason has been, you know, normal throwing. Been off the mound already and everything feels good.”
At 36 years old, deGrom typically waits until February 1 to resume throwing, but he opted to start earlier this week. This decision allows him to gradually ease into spring training.
Since inking a five-year, $185 million deal with the Rangers two winters ago, deGrom has only made nine starts. Remarkably, the team won all six of his initial starts before the end of April during his 2023 season debut, prior to his surgery. Following a lengthy rehab period, he recorded a perfect 3-0 record with a 1.69 ERA and a total of 14 strikeouts over 10 2/3 innings across those three September outings.
Chris Young, the Rangers’ president of baseball operations, expressed his enthusiasm about the potential of deGrom’s healthy season. “One of the things I’m most excited about is a healthy season from Jacob, and for our fans to see what that looks like, and how good he is,” Young stated. “It’s just electric, and coming to the ballpark every day that he’s pitching, knowing that we’ve got a great chance to win the game, it’s an exciting feeling. Our fans truly haven’t experienced that over the course of a season. We’re excited and hopeful that this is the year they get to see that.”
Since winning back-to-back Cy Young Awards with the New York Mets in 2018 and 2019, deGrom has struggled with injuries, never making more than 15 starts in a season. He managed to start 12 games during the condensed 60-game season of 2020.
In 2021, he achieved a career-best ERA of 1.08 across 92 innings but was sidelined for the final three months due to right forearm tightness and a sprained elbow. He faced additional setbacks during spring training in 2022 due to a stress reaction in his right scapula. After a comeback, he ended that season with a 5-4 record and a 3.08 ERA across 11 starts in the latter two months, earning free agency after the season.
In his last three starts last season, deGrom’s fastball reached an impressive 98 mph, showcasing his strength as he pitched against the Los Angeles Angels, allowing only one run over four innings.
“In those games, you know, it’s still a thought in the back of your mind, you just came back from a major surgery and you probably don’t get another one at my age,” deGrom reflected. “So it was, hey, is everything good? And then like I said, was able to check those boxes off in this offseason, treat it normal.”
Feeling optimistic, deGrom now believes he can pitch again without concerns about injuries looming over him. “Just throw the ball to the target and not think about anything,” he asserted. “So, yeah, I think I can get back to where I was.”
