Jacob deGrom has heard the questions about his age for a while now. At 38, he's still answering them the same way: by making hitters look silly.
The Rangers right-hander turned in a monster outing to power Texas to an 8-1 win over the Athletics, giving the Rangers their second straight win. deGrom set the tone, and the lineup piled on from there.
DeGrom's final line netted him 60.0 fantasy points, easily the best mark on either roster and enough to make him the unanimous choice for game MVP. Whatever concerns lingered about his workload or his readiness for a long season, none of it showed up on the mound. He was efficient, he was overpowering, and he left the Athletics' lineup with almost nothing to work with all night.
The offense didn't need much help finishing the job, but it provided plenty anyway. Justin Foscue continued to look like one of the more pleasant surprises of the young season, racking up 26.0 fantasy points at second base. The Mississippi State product has given Texas a steady bat in the middle of the lineup through the opening week, and Tuesday was his best showing yet. Cody Freeman chipped in right behind him with 25.0 fantasy points, giving the Rangers production up and down the diamond rather than relying on one or two names to carry the load.
Brandon Nimmo added 22.0 fantasy points from the leadoff spot, doing exactly what Texas needs from him: getting on base, working counts, and setting the table for the power hitters behind him. Jake Burger continued to provide thump at first base, posting 20.0 fantasy points, while Corey Seager and Ezequiel Duran each turned in solid complementary nights at 13.0 and 11.5 respectively. Even catcher Logan O'Hoppe got in on the fun with 11.5 fantasy points. When your seven or eight hole hitter and your catcher are both contributing, it's a good sign for how deep this lineup can be over 162 games.
For the Athletics, this one was rough from the jump. Nothing was working. Chris Roycroft was the best the Athletics could offer out of the bullpen, scraping together 8.7 fantasy points, while Carlos Cortes and catcher Jonah Heim each posted modest showings of 8.5 and 8.0. Lawrence Butler and Darell Hernaiz managed only 4.0 apiece, and the middle of the lineup went cold — Henry Bolte and Jeff McNeil were both held to 0.0 fantasy points, a sign of just how little offense the Athletics could generate against Texas' pitching.
The larger story here is about where these two teams are heading. Texas has now won back-to-back games after enduring a rough week that included losses to Milwaukee and the White Sox. This dominant win over the Athletics has the Rangers looking like a team that can lean on its rotation to stabilize things when the bats go quiet, and lean on its lineup depth when the ace isn't on the mound. That's the kind of balance that wins divisions in September, even if it's only the first week of the season right now.
For the Athletics, the concern is more immediate. Getting shut down by deGrom and the Rangers' offense points to real issues at the plate. If the offense doesn't find some life soon, it's going to be a long summer.
One night doesn't define a season, but for Rangers fans, watching deGrom carve up a lineup while Foscue and company build a comfortable cushion is about as good a start as they could have drawn up. Anyone building lineups on JockBroker this week should already have deGrom's name circled — 60.0 fantasy points is the kind of outing that wins matchups by itself.
