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A hat and glove of a Texas Rangers player during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Which Rangers Veteran Should be Considered Staff’s Top Pitcher for 2025?

Originally posted on Texas Rangers on SI
By Matt Postins | Last updated Oct 24, 2025 9:00 AM ET

If the Texas Rangers were handing out their own Cy Young winner, which pitcher would claim it?

Later this offseason, the Arlington chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America will vote on and release its award winners, which includes a pitcher of the year award. That award can go to a starter or a reliever. But it’s supposed to be given to the top pitcher on the team.

For the past month, Inside the Rangers has been wrapping up the 2025 season, one that ended with the Rangers finishing 81-81 and in third place in the American League West. The pitching staff was one of the best in baseball. It had the best ERA in the game. But only one pitcher can be considered the top pitcher on the staff.

The honor came down to the team’s two veteran starters — Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi.

Comparing Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi

deGrom had a stated goal entering the season — 30 starts. The Rangers wanted to manage his workload and did, but he reached 30 starts by season’s end and finished 12-8 with a 2.97 ERA. He struck out 185 hitters, walked 37 and finished with a 0.92 WHIP. His strikeout rate of 9.6 per nine innings marked the first time it was under 10.0 since 2016. His walk rate of 1.9 was his highest since 2020.

His Baseball Savant page boasted plenty of red, as his pitching run value, fastball run value and breaking run value were all above the 95th percentile. His offspeed run value was in just the 35th percentile. His chase rate, whiff rate, strikeout rate and walk rate (5.5) were all in the 83-89th percentile range. Naturally, his fastball was in the 92nd percentile.

deGrom made the All-Star Game, but his numbers dropped after the break. His ERA splits in July (4.13), August (3.38) and September (4.84) were much higher than his overall ERA. Plus, he gave up 17 home runs in the final three months of the campaign.

Eovaldi (11-3, 1.73) only pitched in 22 games. He struck out 129 and walked 21 with a 0.85 WHIP. He missed time with a right groin strain and missed the final month of the season with a right rotator cuff strain. His 8.9 strikeouts per nine innings remained steady with his last four seasons, but he dropped his walk rate per nine innings to 1.5 from 2.2 in 2024. He briefly led the AL in ERA once he qualified. But he fell out of the race after the second injury.

Like deGrom, his Baseball Savant page featured plenty of red. His pitching run value, fastball run value breaking run value and offspeed run value were all in the red, with the worst being the breaking run value in the 76th percentile. The only blue on his Savant page was his fastball velo, which was in the 45th percentile. His walk rate was exceptional in the 98th percentile.

deGrom made more starts, but his performance faded a bit in the final two months of the season. Eovaldi missed time at two different stages of the season. But his performance remained at the same level when he pitched. It’s close, but when assessing the staff’s best pitcher, it was Eovaldi by a nose over deGrom.

This article first appeared on Texas Rangers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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