Which Five Pitchers Should Be in Texas Rangers' Opening Day Starting Rotation?

With a rotation battle taking place, this is how the Texas Rangers' rotation should look on Opening Day.

Sep 20, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Texas Rangers pitcher Jack Leiter (35) throws a pitch against the Seattle Mariners in the fourth inning at Globe Life Field. / Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

The Texas Rangers have experienced some difficulties prior to Opening Day.

Originally, the Rangers entered the spring with promising pitching depth with established veterans and star pitching prospects. However, that optimism has given way to concern as injuries, illnesses and bad luck have taken their toll on the pitching staff.

Jon Gray and Cody Bradford will be on the shelf for the start of the season, and because of that, there is now a battle for two spots in the starting rotation.

With not much time left before Texas has to make their decision, below is a look at how the pitchers in the mix have performed in spring training and how that impacts what roster decisions should be made.

Jacob deGrom

deGrom is making strides in his comeback, showing resilience against illness and bad weather.

Signs point to him achieving full health, and he aims to build his pitch count in upcoming spring outings. However, he is still slightly behind schedule.

Since he's going to start the season in a later spot in the rotation to save his arm during the early part of the year, that isn't a major concern.

deGrom has logged two scoreless innings this spring and fans remain hopeful he can be dominant again this year.

Nathan Eovaldi

Eovaldi's spring has been less than ideal.

After a slow start, he has pitched nine innings and surrendered seven earned runs on 10 hits with three walks and eight strikeouts.

Despite his early struggles, Eovaldi has been named the Opening Day starter for the second consecutive year, set to face the Boston Red Sox in Arlington on March 27.

Tyler Mahle

Mahle has dealt with forearm stiffness and has not pitched in a spring tilt in over a week.

He has thrown nine innings in spring training, allowing three earned runs on eight hits with two walks and six strikeouts.

Reports suggest his injury is minor, and he may be back in action soon. He was able throw 52 pitches this past Friday in a minor league outing, marking in his first step back.

He should get the ball again mid-week.

Jack Leiter

In contrast to the injury woes, Leiter has shown promise this spring, solidifying his position in the rotation.

Leiter has pitched 10.2 innings, allowing three earned runs on seven hits, with four walks and 13 strikeouts, and he has a WHIP of 1.22.

His strong performance could position him behind Eovaldi, creating a potential weekend rotation of deGrom, Eovaldi and Leiter.

Kumar Rocker

Rocker, a polarizing figure in baseball, is under immense scrutiny as expectations mount.

With injuries to other pitchers, the opportunity for Rocker to step up has arisen, but he has struggled to find consistent performance this spring, making his development critical for the Rangers' pitching strategy going forward.

As they navigate this challenging spring, the team's hopes rest on the shoulders of a few key pitchers and the resilience of their young talent.

Posting Rocker’s spring stats are unnecessary.

He has struggled and that has been well documented.

In his last outing, he gained a feel for his slider. It remains to be seen what other improvements he can make in his next outing.

Dane Dunning

Interestingly enough, after several turning events Friday night, Dunning took the ball from Rocker following his outing against the San Diego Padres.

Likely unknown at the time, Gray had just been injured by a line drive, meaning Dunning had the ball in his hand with a significant opportunity.

So far this spring, Dunning has been unspectacular.

In 7.2 innings pitched, he has allowed five runs, all earned, on 12 hits, while walking four and striking out 10. Since he's been Texas' swingman in the past, the team knows exactly what he can provide for a few starts.

Dunning seems to be the more sensible choice for the last spot.

Adrian Houser

Houser is an interesting case and has suddenly become a very important cog in the roster.

This spring, Houser has thrown 10.2 innings, allowing two runs, both earned, on six hits, walking four and striking out seven.

The third time through the order has been a challenge for Houser as a starter, but there are worse options for what could be the No. 8 starter on the depth chart.

If it were up to this writer, the rotation would start with Eovaldi, Leiter, Mahle, Houser and deGrom.

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