These 4 young arms will be difference makers for the Texas Rangers in 2025

The Texas Rangers’ success in 2025 doesn’t rest solely on their high-powered offense and veteran frontline starters, it’s off the arms of a handful of young pitchers that are ready to up their game and become household names on the big stage.

The rotation will of course be anchored by Nathan Eovaldi and Jacob deGrom while the bullpen is filled with options to mix up and put them in various roles throughout the season. But what is yet to be determined is the fit of the young arms that Texas is relying on to take that next step or turn the corner.

It's a lot to ask but the success of these four arms could turn the team's pitching staff from a liability to a strong suit that carries them on a deep run into October.

4 Rangers pitchers that have the potential to turn the pitching staff from good to great in 2025

Cody Bradford

Bradford will be an instrumental piece of the pitching staff this year. We saw flashes of brilliance in 2024 but unfortunately it was cut short only three starts in due to a lower back strain. When he returned from injury, Bradford was eased back into work only pitching in 14 games. He finished the season with a 3.54 ERA, struck out 70 batters and limited them to a .201 batting average.

For Texas to be successful they need to get the rotation behind Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi going and it starts with the 26-year-old lefty.

Marc Church

Last year I saw Church pitch during spring training and remember thinking to myself this kid will be an integral part of the bullpen at some point this year. He was sent down to Round Rock to start the year after 10.2 innings and 14 strikeouts in Arizona.

However, he started off his season less than ideal and later suffered a right shoulder injury that sidelined him until August. Church made his major league debut on Sept. 28 in Anaheim against the Angels.

With his two pitch mix, the 23-year-old averages 96 mph on his fastball and low 90s with his slider. It wouldn't surprise me to see Church start the year in Round Rock but I do think the bullpen is better with him and he provides a lot of versatility for Bruce Bochy and staff.

Jack Leiter

The 2021 second overall pick out of Vanderbilt is coming into 2025 with a lot to prove. Can he find success at the big league level? His career thus far has been than ideal finishing the season with an 8.83 ERA and opposing batters hitting .297 against him. The franchise hasn't given up on him so neither should the fans. But maybe it is time for us to temper our expectations on what Leiter can be.

His fastball is one of the better pitches in the game, at 96.4 mph is in the 84th percentile, but his off-speed pitches haven't seen the same success. He's struggled with command and has yet to truly find his put away pitch. Tough to hear given the hype he's had but it is make it or break it time for Leiter this season.

Kumar Rocker

This kid will be exciting. We saw flashes of it in his three starts last season. If you look at his numbers they may not pop off the page but it was solely about getting Rocker comfortable in the big leagues. In his MLB debut he threw four innings, surrendering one run and striking out seven Seattle Mariners' hitters. His fastball topped out at 97 mph and five of his seven strikeouts were from his slider.

The priority going into 2025 remains the same for the Rangers and Rocker, continue to get him comfortable in the big leagues. That means putting him on a routine to get deeper into ballgames. In his three games last season he never threw more than 74 pitches.

He will go into spring training eyeing a starter's workload but with the structure of the rotation now, we might see Rocker get early appearances out of the bullpen or in a six-man rotation to help the other starters stay healthy.