Jacob deGrom Tosses Two Scoreless Frames in 2025 Spring Debut

It took an extra day after a rainout but Jacob deGrom made his 2025 spring debut on March 8 against the Royals. deGrom threw 31 pitches in his first start, hitting the upper-90s with his fastball as the Rangers’ ace looks for a healthy year for the first time since the shortened 2020 season.

Jacob deGrom threw two perfect innings on March 8, his first performance of the spring. The Rangers’ ace notched four whiffs against the Royals, along with three strikeouts. Kyle Isbel and Bobby Witt Jr. went down on strikes in the first inning, followed by Tyler Gentry in the second.

deGrom touched 98 MPH in his spring debut, with the average being 97.0 MPH on his four-seam fastball. That number is roughly in line with where he was (97.3) when deGrom pitched in September 2024.

It’s a positive sign for the Rangers, especially since Texas has seen an uneven spring from Kumar Rocker. Rocker, who made his MLB debut last September, has gotten roughed up in the Cactus League, giving up eight earned runs over two starts (two IP).

The good news, though, for the Rangers is that their veterans have held up. Tyler Mahle, Nathan Eovaldi, and Jon Gray have all taken the ball the spring and haven’t had any problems to this point.

And if Rocker doesn’t make the team out of camp, Cody Bradford and Dane Dunning could get the fifth spot. Bradford has seven strikeouts over six Cactus League innings, while Dunning (3.00 ERA, 6 K over 6 IP) has recorded similar numbers.

Other tidbits

Kyle Higashioka, who the Rangers signed this past winter, notched two hits on the 8th. Higashioka raised his batting average to .412.

Leody Taveras hit his third home run of the spring in Texas’ win against the Royals.