(Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
The Texas Rangers were busy over the winter, particularly when constructing their starting rotation.
Their biggest moves were the signings of Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, and Andrew Heaney.
They also retained Martin Perez and acquired Jake Odorizzi from the Atlanta Braves.
So far, the team is off to a good start in 2023.
They have won four of their first six games to start the season.
But while deGrom had a rough outing on Opening Day, he still is the leader of the pack in an elite category.
MLB Network posted a graphic on Twitter featuring a list of pitchers with the most whiffs to start the year, and the veteran right-hander is at the top with 25.
Swiiiiiing and a miss. pic.twitter.com/retzj4PcC6
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) April 6, 2023
deGrom bumped his total up to 25 in his most recent start against the Baltimore Orioles.
Also on the list are pitchers such as Nick Lodolo, Jesus Luzardo, Blake Snell, and Cristian Javier.
Lodolo has 22 whiffs thus far, while Luzardo and Snell each have 20.
Javier has 19 thus far.
In this day and age, swing-and-miss stuff is what teams value the most from their starting pitchers.
It’s also the stuff that plays especially well in the postseason.
The Rangers are lucky enough to have a starter who is capable of that in deGrom.
And so far, the two-time Cy Young is leading this elite category.
The 34-year-old owns a 5.59 ERA through his first two starts of the season, but he has still managed to get ahead of hitters and throw strikes, as well as cause swings-and-misses.
The post Jacob deGrom Already Leads An Elite Category appeared first on The Cold Wire.