Why one MLB lifer believes the Rangers’ ace can finally beat the injury bug

It's insane to think that a major league pitcher can actually not throw with maximum effort and still be one of the most dominant and unhittable hurlers in all of baseball. But that is exactly what Adam Ottavino of MLB Now believes Rangers' stud Jacob deGrom is doing.

In fact, Ottavino, a former major league pitcher himself, believes that having him dial it back just a little is crucial to the success he has had and will have moving forward. He also posits that deGrom now has an understanding of how going at it at 90% is essential for the injury plagued right-hander to beat the arm problems that have kept him sidelined for the majority of the past six seasons.

Rangers' ace Jacob DeGrom can finally beat the injury bug

Ottavino points directly at deGrom's whiff rate and how it has gone from an otherworldly 44% before he started experiencing a series of ailments. He believes that deGrom is maintaining a lower 31% whiff rate, which is still elite, but is more in line with where he was when he was winning two Cy Youngs with the Mets in 2018 and 2019.

It is his "robotic" command and pinpoint accuracy with his hard slider that runs away from right-handed hitters and dips in below the knees of lefties that allows him to maintain a less-is-more approach. He, quite literally, is not throwing as hard as he could, and it is an indication that Ottavino believes will allow him to continue to take the mound every five days.

The most encouraging aspect of what Ottavino posits is that deGrom currently has a better understanding of his body and its limitations.

So far this year, the ace has successfully reeled it in and has the numbers to prove it is working at a Cy Young level. DeGrom is 4-1 with an ERA of 2.23 and a WHIP of .093. He has also struck out 62 hitters in 58 innings pitched.

Fanning more than a hitter per inning is an outstanding ratio for a starting pitcher. But the fact that deGrom is doing it while dialing it back to secure his health should be terrifying to major league hitters. He has already thrown more innings than the last two seasons combined.