Deadly Duo: Rangers Can Pair Jacob deGrom With An Elite Pitch Framer

Jonah Heim isn’t the most well-known catcher in the world, but few were better at framing pitches in 2022. With Jacob deGrom already in possession of elite command, could Heim make the ex-Mets ace even better?

What happens when you combine elite command with top-notch pitch framing? The Rangers may find out soon.

Texas dropped a bomb on the baseball world just before the Winter Meetings, agreeing to a guaranteed five-year, $185 million deal with Jacob deGrom on Friday night. A conditional sixth-year option for 2028 could make the pact – which includes a full no-trade clause – worth $222 million, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

A longtime Met, deGrom is one of the best pitchers on the planet when healthy. The two-time Cy Young winner is known for his triple-digit heat and high strikeout rates, but the righty also possesses impeccable control. The 34-year-old owns a 5.2 percent walk rate for his career and has cut that number to 3.35 percent since the start of 2021, though injuries have limited deGrom to just 26 starts and 156.1 innings over the last two seasons.

deGrom’s last full campaign in 2019 – everyone’s season was short in 2020 – saw him win his second Cy Young Award while walking 5.5 percent of batters. He recorded that same number when he won his first Cy Young in 2018.

Clearly, deGrom does not need any help when it comes to locating his stuff. And yet, Texas has a catcher who may just provide an additional edge for the four-time All-Star.

Jonah Heim is not the most famous backstop in Major League Baseball, but he was the game’s second-best pitch framer in 2022. Only the Yankees’ Jose Trevino, a former Rangers catcher himself, outdid Heim’s 12 Catcher Framing Runs and 51.6 percent Strike Rate, per Baseball Savant. However, Heim caught 199 more pitches than Trevino.

2022 Catcher Framing Stats – Top 5

Put in non-analytical terms: deGrom is an elite artist, and Heim is about as perfect a canvas as one could ask for.

But in fairness to deGrom’s former battery mates in New York, the Mets have two strong framers on their roster in Tomás Nido and James McCann. Nido, who caught in 96 games for the Mets last year, had five Catcher Framing Runs and a 50.3 percent Strike Rate. McCann, meanwhile, caught in 60 games and had two Catcher Framing Runs and a 48.1 percent Strike Rate. Nido was behind the plate for 44.2 of deGrom’s innings last season and got a 3.22 ERA out of the pitcher. deGrom had a 2.75 ERA with McCann, but only over 19.2 innings.

It's no guarantee that having an even better framer will improve deGrom’s already-stunning performance or numbers in 2023. Rather, the pitcher’s health will be the greatest factor – not just next season, but throughout his time in Texas. Meanwhile, Heim’s status as the Rangers’ everyday catcher is not set in stone, as they could look to pursue offensive upgrades this offseason. However, MLB teams value skilled pitch framers, and Texas has one.

At the very least, these two should create tough calls for umpires and headaches for batters trying to get a feel for the strike zone. So whenever deGrom and Heim are paired together, keep an eye on how many favorable calls Texas gets.