Two Rangers Aces Have Some of Best Tools Among American League Pitchers

The Texas Rangers sit at .500 and are four games back of the final American League Wild Card. The offense has struggled, but one thing Texas has been able to count on all season is their starting pitching. The rotation has the best ERA in baseball at 3.32, with the next highest being 3.58.

The two biggest reasons for that mark have been a career year from Nathan Eovaldi and a resurgence from Jacob deGrom, who is looking like the ace he once was. Baseball America (subscription required) recently released their poll where MLB executives and scouts vote on which players have the best tools. Eovaldi and deGrom were all over the American League list.

If this were four years ago, deGrom being on this poll multiple times would be no shock. The 37-year-old had one of the most dominant runs of any pitcher in history. Since signing with the Rangers before the 2023 season, he's been good, but only when he's on the mound. In his first two seasons, the two time Cy Young winner only made nine starts, thanks to elbow surgery.

deGrom has managed to stay healthy all year, and he looks back to form, albeit not his peak form. In 23 starts, deGrom has thrown 135.1 innings, his highest mark since 2019. His strikeouts are down, a 9.5 K/9, but his ERA sits at 2.86, all earning him an All-Star nod. And with good deGrom, comes elite stuff.

The right-hander shows up on this list three times, but his best category is "best slider," in which he sits at the top. Sure, he can still throw over 100 mph, but the slider has always been his bread and butter.

A pitch that he throws 90 mph, it's been one of the premier pitches in baseball for a long time. According to Baseball Savant, deGrom trhows his slider 38.3 percent of the time, his second highest usage behind the fastball. Opponents are hitting .200 against the slider, with a 36.8 whiff percentage. It's been the pitch he's used to get the most of his strike outs, with 65 of his 143 coming from the slider.

He is ranked second in terms of "Best Control," which is another aspect of the game he's always been great at. This season specifically, deGrom has a 5.7 walk percentage, which is in the 88th percentile. His BB/9 sits at 2.

Finally, he is ranked third the category "Best Pitcher." This spot could be debated. He's shown that he's still deGrom, but it's been a long time since the 37-year-old has shown a full season of being that good.

Next is Nathan Eovaldi. Known as a dominant playoff pitcher, the 35-year-old is having the best year of his career. In 116 innings, Eovaldi has posted a 1.71 ERA with 114 strikeouts and his second best career bWAR at 3.9.

According to scouts and execs polled, Eovaldi has the third best curveball in the American League.

Eovaldi has quite the arsenal, but his curveball is by far his best pitch. In 2025, batters have hit .100 against it with a .186 slugging percentage. He gets whiffs on it 42.7 percent of the time and his offspeed run value is in the 98th percentile, according to Baseball Savant.

It's likely that both of these pitchers will get Cy Young votes in 2025, as they have revelations for the Texas Rangers. If they can find their way into the playoffs, the 1-2 punch of Eovaldi and deGrom will be formidable.