"We have guys, we have depth" - Jon Gray confident of Rangers' solid start despite Cy Young winners Jacob deGrom & Max Scherzer's absence
Reigning champions Texas Rangers are set to start the new MLB season with two of their Cy Young-winning pitchers injured, but Jon Gray believes that they have the required depth nonetheless. Both Jacob DeGrom and Max Scherzer will start the season on the injured list, leading many to question if the Texas side has the firepower to sustain themselves in the beginning of the season.
However, Gray said in a recent interview that the team has the depth necessary and doesn't need to weather the storm until the superstars are back in action.
Jon Gray was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 2013 MLB draft and went on to make his major league debut with them in 2015. Since then, he had been in and out of their roster due to injuries and performance, until he was traded to the Rangers in 2022. He then went on to win the World Series with the Texas side in 2023, pitching three scoreless innings in Game 3 of the World Series.
While the Rangers ended last season on a high, they enter the new season with two of their multiple Cy Young-winning pitchers injured. Jacob DeGrom underwent Tommy John surgery in June last year and is not expected to be fit at the start of the season. Veteran pitcher Max Scherzer is also set to start the new season on the IL, but Gray believes that the depth in their roster can handle the games until then:
"We have guys, we have depth. It's gonna be a strength of ours," Gray said.
Rangers ace Jon Gray believes team can carry last year's momentum into new season
Speaking to MLB Network recently, the Texas Rangers' starting pitcher has high hopes for the team as they head into the new season. While acknowledging the pitching depth in their roster, he also said that they can carry last year's momentum into the new season.
He said that as long as they remember that it is a new season, the team can use the high spirit from the end of last season to get into a strong start this year:
"For me, it brings a lot of confidence... all the good feeling, take that in, but then again your focus is on the new year."