Texas Rangers pitcher Jacob Latz delivers during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Globe Life Field on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Arlington.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
PHILADELPHIA – The symbolism was obvious, if not entirely accurate.
Sitting under a table umbrella in Ashburn Alley at Citizen’s Bank Park on Monday, another day when it was hot as hell in Philadelphia, to quote a musical, was Rangers All-Star Jacob Latz.
He was right back where this magical season started, when on the spur of the moment, after being denied a spot in the starting rotation, he pinch-hit (or rather pinch-pitched) for Jacob deGrom and threw four no-hit innings against the Phillies. From there, he sprung into being one of the most dominant and versatile closers in the game this season. It makes for a nice, full-circle moment.
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“It was cool to be back here,” Latz said when asked about Philly flashbacks. “But when you walk in with every good player in the league, it hits kind of different.”
Make no mistake. Latz is now one of them. For the metric crowd, his Fangraphs WAR of 1.7 is the second-best among AL relievers. For the traditionalists, his ERA of 1.61 is third and his 90% save conversion rate is tied for third. He’s converted more multi-inning saves than anyone in baseball.
And in the clubhouse, he heard all of this from his temporary teammates, who introduced themselves to him Monday and congratulated him on making the team. They may not have quoted the stats, but they recognized the body of work, letting Latz know he belonged.
“When I shook some hands here and they were congratulating me on the year that I’ve had, and giving me kudos for that, it’s cool to get acknowledgement or at least know that other people have noticed what I’ve been doing this year. That recognition sticks out to me more than like thinking back to being back here. All of that meant a lot.”
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At least someone noticed. Most of the time Latz was available during the 40-minute media availability Monday. He sat by his lonesome under the sun shade, wedged between AL Pitcher of the Moment Cam Schlittler and Home Run Derby favorite Junior Caminero.
Most of those who stopped by wanted to know what he’d be doing if he wasn’t a baseball player (he’d maybe open a restaurant), what ingredient ruins a sandwich (he’s not a mustard guy), whether the Cowboys are still America’s Team (do you really think Latz was gonna fall into that trap) and if he knew any Japanese (not really). A quick video-bite, a congrats and they were gone.
Had they been interested, though, Latz could have told them that this season did not, in fact, start in Philadelphia in March, but rather in Poway, Calif., last October when a bit of serendipity led him to pitching instructor Dominick Johnson.
Latz left last season with two goals: To win a job as a starter and to fulfill a long-held desire to spend an offseason in California. The first was obvious to anybody who has ever talked to Latz. The second was a promise he made to himself after choosing Kent State, in Ohio, over San Diego when he decided to transfer from LSU.
He lacked just one thing in this grand plan – a pitching coach. While the Rangers had been supportive of his desire to transition to starting, Latz wanted to dive in deeper on biomechanics and becoming the best version of himself. During a physical therapy and chiropractic treatment in Arizona on the way out West, renowned sports chiropractor Dr. Sean Drake, suggested Johnson, who worked with San Diego’s Joe Musgrove, who is his godson, and New York Mets reliever Luke Weaver, among others.
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It was a match made in pitching heaven. Latz is a “why” guy? He wants to know the “why” to everything. Johnson is a firm believer that without understanding the “why,” pitchers can’t truly reach their goals.
“I didn’t know much about him,” Johnson told The Dallas Morning News on Monday. “But it was very clear from the first time we talked, that he understood the ‘why’ of what happens with movements. Most pitchers don’t. He wanted to be really good. He wanted to understand himself and his pitches better. There was no BS about that. That was all that mattered was being better.”
Said Latz: “It’s just a very good mesh. He understands both sides of pitching. We both nerd out on the analytical side, but then I also see him like a guru and a father figure. He treats every pitcher there like his son, so it’s awesome to be able to talk to him about pitching, but then to also ask how I’m doing. He just feels like he’s part of the team.”
On the biomechanical side, Johnson talked about movements and cues in his delivery and also changed Latz’s arm positioning slightly, to shorten up his arm stroke and keep the ball a bit more hidden from hitters. Perhaps that helps explain why despite a fastball velocity that ranks in the 54th percentile in MLB, his fastball value, per Baseball Savant, ranks in the 95th percentile. It has had an impact on his secondary stuff, too. Latz’s offspeed run value ranked in the bottom 20% of baseball last year; it ranks in the top 15% this year.
That’s the analytical and biomechanical part. But there was also the mental part. The duo had worked all winter with the goal of Latz being a starter. When the Rangers opted for Kumar Rocker in the rotation, Johnson wondered how Latz would respond.
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There was no hesitancy. No period of feeling sorry for himself.
“There was never a complaint,” said Johnson, who continues to talk with Latz almost daily during the season. “He never complained about the role. It was ‘OK, let’s go out and be the best in the bullpen.’ Then it was ‘let’s go out and be the best closer.’ He’s a perfectionist and he really wants to win.”
On Tuesday, surrounded by the best in the game, Latz will get a chance to show that off in the place where he made his first appearance of the season, but it is hardly where his season started. Either way, it’s where he belongs now. Among the best.