One Of Newest Rangers May Also Be Best

MLB.com predicted the best Texas player in 2023 and he wasn't on the club in 2022.

The Texas Rangers have made plenty of noise this offseason when it comes to starting pitching. One of those hurlers could be the team’s best player in 2023, according to MLB.com.

The site put together predictions on which player would be the best player for each team, based on use the WAR statistic (wins above replacement). WAR measures a player's value in all facets of the game by deciphering how many more wins he's worth than a replacement-level player at his same position.

MLB.com believes that newly-signed pitcher Jacob deGrom will be the Rangers’ best player in 2023, based on WAR.

Per MLB.com:

If he can hit 150 innings, he might lead all of baseball in WAR. Also: Marcus Semien was better last year than you realized, wasn’t he?

The comment about the second baseman was a nod to the fact that he was the club’s best player in 2022 based on WAR. His WAR rating was 5.9. Semien was also a Gold Glove finalist.

He was one of two infielders that signed long, lucrative contracts with the Rangers last offseason. The other was shortstop Corey Seager. deGrom credited those signings as getting him interested in signing with the Rangers.

deGrom joins a rotation that includes three new veterans in Jake Odorizzi, Andrew Heaney and Nathan Eovaldi. Jon Gray and Martín Pérez are the holdovers, though Pérez agreed to a $19.65 million qualifying offer and is only signed through 2023.

deGrom has a career record of 82-57 with a 2.52 ERA. He has won two Cy Young Awards and been to the All-Star Game three times. He was also the 2014 National League Rookie of the Year.

deGrom has made 15 starts or fewer in each of the three seasons — 12 in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, 15 in 2021 and 11 in 2022. He was still an All-Star in 2021. Elbow inflammation ended his 2021 shortly after the All-Star Break, while a stress reaction in his right scapula delayed his 2022 debut to August. He ended up going 5-4 with a 3.08 ERA.

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