Aug 15, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob deGrom (48) pitches to the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at Rogers Centre. John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Rangers Ace Jacob deGrom Leaps Into Latest MLB Pitcher Power Rankings

Originally posted on Texas Rangers on SI | By Kyle Morton | Last updated Aug 29, 2025 12:00 PM ET

Before the start of the 2025 season, Texas Rangers right-handed pitcher Jacob deGrom and the organization insisted that they had a plan to keep him healthy and on the mound throughout the campaign.

With 25 starts under his belt before the end of August, it's clear that whatever he and the team have done to keep him off the dreaded injured list has worked. But perhaps what makes the feat even more impressive is the fact that his effectiveness has not been compromised in the process.

deGrom owns a 10-6 record and a 2.79 ERA, just a tick above his career mark of 2.55. Astonishingly, his WHIP is actually better than his career average, sitting at 0.93 compared to 0.99. He's still striking out more than a batter per inning, and at age 37, he's turned in a campaign that would be worthy of AL Cy Young Award consideration if Detroit Tigers superst Tarik Skubal, Boston Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet and Houston Astros rising star Hunter Brown hadn't put the race of out reach.

Jacob deGrom Ranked at No. 6 in Latest Pitcher Power Rankings

deGrom is far too notable for his success to ever fly under the radar, so even as the Rangers have struggled for much of the season, he's still gotten his due for his outstanding performance. In the latest edition of MLB.com's starting pitcher power rankings, David Adler moved deGrom from outside the top 10 all the way to the No. 6 spot.

"A healthy deGrom is good for baseball," Adler wrote. "And the two-time Cy Young Award winner has now made 25 starts in a season for the first time since 2019, when he won the second of those Cy Youngs. The 37-year-old probably won't win this year, but he's a top five candidate in the AL -- deGrom is 10-6 with a 2.79 ERA and 155 strikeouts."

Now, as September draws closer and Texas sits 6.5 games back of the Astros for the lead in the American League West division and 4.5 games out of the final wild card playoff spot, the question becomes whether it's time to consider the plan to keep deGrom on the mound throughout the 2025 season.

The team has already lost ace Nathan Eovaldi for the rest of this year, so in the unlikely event they make a run to the playoffs, they'd already be shorthanded on the mound. Could it make sense to take what they've seen from deGrom this season as confirmation that he's still a star and put him on ice until next year?

They owe the Stetson alum $38 million for the 2026 campaign, and ensuring that both he and Eovaldi will be ready to go for Opening Day feels like it should be a massive priority. But the team and deGrom could also prioritize the feeling of knowing he can get through an entire season, even if that does come with some inevitable risk.