Jacob deGrom is on pace to erase this troubling Rangers pitching trend

Rangers ace Jacob deGrom is having a season unlike anything fans have seen since the days of Fergie Jenkins, Nolan Ryan, and possibly his teammate this year, Nathan Eovaldi.

Since Lance Lynn won 16 games and Mike Minor won 14 games in 2019, no Rangers starter has been able to pocket more than 12 wins in a single season.

Jacob deGrom is a shoo-in to top 12 wins for the Texas Rangers

deGrom currently sits at 10-3 and, barring any injuries or unforeseen circumstances, will get at least 7 more regular-season starts in 2025.

The way the veteran, 2-time Cy Young Award winner, is pitching this season, it seems like a fait accompli that he will surpass the 12-win mark set by Eovaldi in 2023 and 2024, Martin Perez in 2022, and Dane Dunning in 2023.

deGrom only has to go 3-5 in his final eight starts to eclipse that number, and the only way that happens is if he is injured or the Rangers' bats go cold for his starts. The opposite has been true so far this year. The Rangers have given deGrom more run support than any other starter.

Looking ahead, deGrom has favorable matchups to make a run at 18 wins.

Taking a look at how the Rangers' rotation is set up to roll out for the next several weeks, deGrom will get very winnable matchups against the likes of the Angels, Mariners, Phillies, Diamondbacks, and Royals.

To be clear, any game that deGrom starts, he is going to be favored to win, save a couple of pitchers like reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, Max Fried, Garrett Crochet, and possibly Paul Skenes. None of those guys are left on the team's schedule this season.

He will have to pitch up to his standards to get close to twenty. If he runs the table, he likely finishes with 17 or 18 wins - a mark that has not been achieved in Arlington since 2015 when Colby Lewis put together a career year and notched 17 wins.

And in 2025, a 15-win season is the new 20-win season, given the increased load management and more frequent usage of the bullpens.