Timing could mean everything for Jacob deGrom’s unconventional Hall of Fame chances

SURPRISE, Ariz. — Jacob deGrom has 84 career wins, fewer career innings than Marcus Stroman and a shot at the Hall of Fame.

Before every baseball purist begins to build a moat around Cooperstown, let me reassure you that I am not advocating the Hall for deGrom (at least not a version with 1,367 regular-season innings). This is just about voting trends, plus where the role of the starting pitcher is going, and understanding that in the words of Texas manager Bruce Bochy — who could be on the cover of the Baseball Purist Handbook — “There are none better [than deGrom] when he’s healthy.”

So is deGrom healthy? Well, Kyle Higashioka has been catching the Rangers righty’s bullpens and offered this: “He’s throwing lightning bolts with 80 command (80 is the top of the 20-80 scouting scale). I’m talking every bullpen. If he misses by six inches, he gets mad at himself because he holds himself to such a high standard and his results reflect that.”

DeGrom has made just nine starts for the Rangers since leaving the Mets after the 2022 season — six in 2023 and three to close last year. In between, he required his second Tommy John surgery. He is healthy now, but the Rangers have slow-played him — his first exhibition start is Friday and the plan is to make deGrom the fifth starter to begin the year because frequent off-days mean he can make each of his first five starts with extra rest.