Noah Syndergaard
Last time Jacob deGrom started a game in Dodger Stadium, it was Game 5 of the NLDS. That entire night deGrom was on the ropes. He didn’t have his best stuff. However, he fought through it seemingly with nothing but guile.
Tonight was eerily reminiscent of that night.
The Dodgers were hitting deGrom hard. The lefties were hitting him especially hard. The Coward and Corey Seager led off the game with opposite field doubles in the first. Utley scored on Seager’s double, and Seager scored on an Adrian Gonzalez sac fly. It was 2-0 after one. deGrom would be in and out of trouble most of the game, but the Dodgers wouldn’t score another run.
Part of that was the Mets playing some real good defense behind deGrom. In the second, David Wright dove and stopped a would be Yasiel Puig RBI single. Wright made a poor throw allowing Puig to reach first safely, but the run did not score. In the fourth, Asdrubal Cabrera reached behind him on a ball that ricocheted off the glove of deGrom, made a nice stab, and barely threw out Utley. Eric Campbell made a nice stretch on the play. In the fifth, Cespedes did this:
Yoenis Cespedes' throw to nail Adrian Gonzalez reached 91.1 mph and covered 232 feet, according to Statcast.
— Andrew Simon (@AndrewSimonMLB) May 11, 2016
Overall, deGrom would pitch seven innings allowing eight hits, two earned, and no walks with four strikeouts. Unlike last time, he handed the ball off to the Mets bullpen instead of Noah Syndergaard.
Unfortunately, deGrom got a no decision because Alex Wood didn’t repeat his NLDS performance. He would only allow four hits, two runs (one earned), and two walks with nine strikeouts. In the NLDS, he only went two innings allowing four hits, four earned, and this:
The Mets had no bat flips off Wood. Instead, the Mets would need some help from Utley to score. It was quite ironic how skittish Utley was around second base in the third inning. With Cespedes on first, Wilmer Flores hit a ball up the middle. Utley made the snag, but he flipped it to no one. No, it’s not Seager’s fault for failing to cover second. It’s Utley’s fault because he’s pure evil. The ensuing batter, Michael Conforto, hit the ball to Utley, who threw a potential double play ball into left field. Cespedes would score on the play. Flores would later score on a Kevin Plawecki RBI single.
The game would eventually become a battle of the bullpens, and surprisingly, the Mets would lose despite having the much better bullpen. Hansel Robles gave up a two out walkoff homerun to Trayce Thompson. The Mets lost 3-2. It snapped the Mets three game winning streak.
Game Notes: Terry Collins had Lagares in RF because he apparently hates good defensive OF alignments. Plawecki is heating up and finally taking advantage of his opportunity. Both Lagares and Cespedes slipped on first base on pickoff attempts. Lagares slipped off leading to an out. Cespedes twisted his ankle but stayed in the game. Cabrera was hit by a pitch for the fifth time this year.
Today is Star Wars Day (May the Fourth – get it?). In celebration of the day, here are the Mets alter egos from Episode VII: The Force Awakens:
Yoenis Cespedes – Poe Dameron
- Both Poe and Cespedes were renown for their incredible air power (Cespedes- HR, Poe – pilot). Both were thought to be gone only to return to the joy of everyone. We now know victory is certain.
Matt Harvey – Kylo Ren
- Both were once the most powerful apprentices only to have a younger one with long hair and more powers usurp them. Despite their most recent losses, they will be heard from again.
Noah Syndergaard – Rey
- Both were lost in the desert (Thor – Vegas, Rey – Jakku). Neither knew when they were going to be able to find their next lunch. Both are extremely powerful and are only now starting to realize it.
Michael Conforto – Finn
- Neither were supposed to be here. Neither were supposed to show any signs of greatness. Instead, they broke the mold and carved out a new path for themselves.
Curtis Granderson – Han Solo
- They’ve been around a long time, but they are still as cool as ever. It may be surprising, but they are in the thick of things like they always were. The only problem is there are some young upstarts (Granderson – Conforto, Han – Kylo Ren), who may push them aside. However, before that time comes, they will be heard from again.
Bartolo Colon – Chewbacca
- All these years later, they may be a step slow, but they still are large and in charge. One moment you’re questioning what something so old can do to you. The next, you’re getting your arm or bat taken from you.
Captain David Wright – General Leia Organa
- Years ago, they thought they had accomplished it all as the young, brash good looking people they were. Unfortunately, they didn’t. There’s still more work to be done. The difference is now they have to be the leaders and show a new generation how it’s done.
Logan Verrett – BB8
- Both are taking over for someone else’s role (Verrett – Sean Gilmartin, BB8 – R2D2), and they are performing admirably.
Zack Wheeler – R2D2
- Both are sitting around, shut down, but both still have a very important role to play.
Jacob deGrom – C3PO
- Both have problems with their arms (deGrom – decreased velocity, C3PO – it’s red) and no one knows how it happened. No worries. They’re back and better than ever.
Dan Warthen – Maz Kanata
- Both seem to have the secrets needed to unlock people’s secret powers and lead them on the path to greatness. Plus they kinda look alike.
Terry Collins – Admiral Ackbar
- Both seem like this has all passed them by, but they have returned. They came back and led their people to great victories (Collins – NL, Ackbar – blowing up the Starkiller Base). Now if only Collins had screamed, “It’s a trap!” in Game 5 of the World Series . . . .
Lucas Duda – Captain Phasma
- Their roles are relatively overlooked. Both are large and intimidating presences that can destroy you in the blink of an eye.
Juan Lagares – Snap Wexley
- Both have been here since the new generation’s fight began, but they’ve been pushed aside by Poe/Cespedes who gets all the focus and glory.
Mike Piazza – Luke Skywalker
- The time has come where their greatness has now become the stuff of legends. They are now at the shrines where it all began (Piazza – Cooperstown, Luke – first Jedi temple)
Note, there are no Mets compared to Supreme Leader Snoke or General Hux as they just seem pure evil with no chance for hope. With that said, I think there’s enough room here for one more:
Chase Utley – General Hux
- Their sole intent is to destroy everything for their victory regardless of the consequences. Actually, that’s not true. The more amoral pain and violence inflicted the better. The good news is that no matter what they do, they will ultimately fail.
Yesterday, the Mets faced a left-handed starter for just the third time this year. They have faced Adam Conley, Brandon Finnegan, and Madison Bumgarner. In addition, the Mets have faced lefty relievers here and there. Seemingly, the Mets have struggled against lefties.
On April 13th, Conley limited the Mets to four hits while allowing no earned runs and striking out nine over six innings. It should be noted that last year, Conley had similar success against a somewhat different Mets lineup. Last year, Conley pitched seven innings against the Mets allowing three hits, no runs, and six strikeouts.
On April 26th, Finnegan dominated the Mets over the first six innings. In those six innings, he allowed three hits, no runs, and three strikeouts. The outing was very impressive until he was over extended in the seventh inning. In the seventh, he allowed a walk, a single, and a laser of homerun off the first pitch he threw to pinch hitter Yoenis Cespedes. Finnegan is a former first round pick and a well regarded prospect.
On May 1st, Bumgarner got the better of Noah Syndergaard and the Mets. Bumgarner allowed six hits, two earned, two walks, and nine strikeouts in 6.2 innings. This should surprise no one. Bumgarner is one of the absolute best pitchers in the game. It can be argued he almost single-handedly won the 2014 World Series. You’re going to have bad days against Madison Bumgarner.
That’s the point. The Mets have faced some tough lefties. You know what’s interesting? The Mets have hit still hit lefties in general pretty well.
According to Baseball Reference, the Mets have hit .266/.339/.442 with a 118 OPS+ against lefties. Against righties, the Mets are hitting .254/.329/.448 with a 114 OPS+. Looking over these numbers, the Mets are just as likely to hit righties as they are lefties. It’s easy to lose sight of that after Madison Bumgarner, a lefty, pitches well against the Mets.
So yes, the Mets have had some struggles against three pretty good lefties. No one should read too much into those games. You can point to three different games this season the Mets struggled against three pretty good righties. Mets fans know better than anyone right now that good pitching is going to beat good hitting.
Overall, the Mets have a good offense. There’s no reason to believe based upon these three starts the Mets can’t hit lefties. In fact, the stats show they can.
Editor’s Note: this article was also published on mesmerizedonline.com
During MLB Tonight, former players were asked to compare themselves to current major league players. During John Smoltz‘s segment, he compared himself with a Mets pitcher who had Hall of Fame talent . . . Zack Wheeler.
During his breakdown, Smoltz noted he and Wheeler have both had Tommy John surgery. He also broke down how both he and Wheeler had the inverted W (which is really an M) and had the same landing point. There’s another comparison Smoltz failed to mention. They were both overshadowed by other Cy Young/Hall of Fame caliber pitchers in the same rotation.
Just like Smoltz was overshadowed by Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, Wheeler has become overshadowed by Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, and Noah Syndergaard. Some would even argue he’s been surpassed by Steven Matz.
For Smoltz, it didn’t matter he was overshadowed. He built himself a Hall of Fame career. He was 213-155 with 154 saves, a 3.33 ERA, and a 1.174 WHIP. He won a Cy Young Award and was an eight All Star. He was an incredible postseason pitcher taking his game to the next level. He was 15-4 with a 2.67 ERA and a 1.144 WHIP.
Now, Wheeler is not on this level. So far in his career, he’s 18-16 with a 3.50 ERA and a 1.339 WHIP. That doesn’t mean he can’t improve. He’s a four pitch pitcher with a 96 MPH fastball and a 89 MPH slider. He’s got the stuff to dominate. He just needs better control and pitch location. Once he does that, the results will come.
All Wheeler had to do is make adjustments. As Smoltz noted in the segment, he consistently made adjustments in his career to get better. With each adjustment, Smoltz would improve.
Making the right adjustments is the final piece to the puzzle. If he can do it, he can have a long dominating career like Smoltz. The awards and accolades will come no matter how much another ace overshadows him.
Looking at the Mets this year, it’s amazing to see Michael Conforto emerging as the Mets best everyday player if he isn’t already. The same goes for Noah Syndergaard who is emerging not just as the Mets ace, but also as one of the best pitchers in all of baseball. Each of these players are playing their first full seasons in the majors at 23 years old.
Mets fans are left to think about how much better these two 23 year olds can get. They’re already dominating the majors at an age when most players are in AA or AAA. It’s not too long before they cement their status as two of the best players in the game.
You know what’s funny?
The current debate in baseball is over who the best player in the game is – Bryce Harper or Mike Trout. Harper is 23 years old, and he’s playing in his fifth season. Trout is slightly older at 24, and he is playing in his sixth season.
Between the two of them, they have made seven All Star teams. Each year, they were the youngest All Star on their respective teams. Both of them have won the Rookie of the Year Award and an MVP. They’ve accomplished all of this before Syndergaard and Conforto have played one full season in the majors.
With that said, neither Harper nor Trout have played in an LCS, let alone a World Series. Syndergaard won a game in the World Series. Conforto hit two homeruns in a World Series game. Syndergaard and Conforto are primed to lead the Mets back to the World Series this year and perform even better.
Overall, these are four young players dominating the baseball landscape. They’ve already accomplished much, and they’re going to accomplish much, much more. It’s a good time to not only be a Mets fan, but also a baseball fan.
There was a time the Mets relying on the young meant hoping Chris Young‘s shoulder wouldn’t fall apart, or the other Chris Young hitting above the Mendoza Line. The 2016 version is much better.
Tonight, the Mets were carried by two 23 year old superstars – Noah Syndergaard and Michael Conforto.
Syndergaard was throwing so hard he broke the radar guns in Citi Field. With that said, he wasn’t dominating. Of the seven innings he pitched, he had only two 1-2-3 innings.
However, just because he wasn’t dominating doesn’t mean he wasn’t intimidating. In Billy Hamilton laid down a bunt single in the third inning. He then stole two bases leading to the Reds’ only run of the game. Hamilton’s next at bat? Syndergaard buzzed him inside reminding Hamilton he’s 60’6″ away.
Still Syndergaard had some problems. In the sixth, the Reds had runners on second and third with one out. Syndergaard would then strike out Devin Mesoraco and Adam Duvall to get out of the jam. He got them both with sliders.
Speaking of the slider, Syndergaard went to that well too often. After he passed 100 pitches, and the Reds were going to the fourth time through the lineup, they were able to get a two out rally started.
Zack Cozart would chase Syndergaard in the seventh with an RBI single before Antonio Bastardo came in and showed signs of over use. He walked the first batter he faced before allowing a game-tying single to Joey Votto. Logan Verrett came on in relief and got the Mets out of the jam leaving the score tied 3-3.
Syndergaard’s final line was 6.2 innings, seven hits, three earned, no walks, and nine strikeouts.
The Mets would retake the lead on yet another Neil Walker homerun:
.@NeilWalker18 has tied a career best with seven home runs a calendar month. #MetsFacts pic.twitter.com/vim606h1fA
— New York Mets (@Mets) April 25, 2016
#MetsWIN! 5-3 #Mets @NeilWalker18 crushes a 2-run home run in the bottom of the 7th to seal this one. #LoveTheMetshttps://t.co/F9od6tTnSG
— New York Mets (@Mets) April 26, 2016
For his part, Conforto couldn’t make an out. In the first inning, he hit a homer. He followed that with a single in the third. He got a shift double in the fifth. He hit a bloop by the left field line. Suarez got under it, but he still couldn’t make the play. It bounced into the stands for a ground rule double. He walked in the seventh. The cycle was not to be. He’s been amazing since he was called-up, and he’s been better since he started hitting third:
Since moving to the three spot, Conforto is 12-for-35, with eight runs, four doubles, three homers and eight RBIs in 10 games. OK, I guess.
— Laura Albanese (@AlbaneseLaura) April 25, 2016
By the way, Lucas Duda hit another homerun:
#DudaSmash! Watch Lucas Duda's monster 2-run home run >> https://t.co/tFM2CptR4G pic.twitter.com/gyv7lZZTQE
— New York Mets (@Mets) April 26, 2016
In what was a good night overall, there was some cause for concern. Travis d’Arnaud continues to struggle behind the plate. While Syndergaard doesn’t hold runners on well, d’Arnaud’s throws were terrible. He was palming the ball. He was winding up too much. He seemed to be thinking more than reacting. Overall, the Reds were 5-5 in stolen base attempts.
Addison Reed and Jeurys Familia closed out the win.
The game was tougher than it should have been, but it’s still a win. It extended the Mets winning streak to four games. The streak should continue as the Mets are pulling it all together and are beating bad teams like they should.
Earlier today, I published a proposal to change the way the fans vote for the All Star Game. To show how this may work, here is my best guess on how the fans may vote based upon if fans were voting today:
AMERICAN LEAGUE
AL East
Baltimore Orioles – Manny Machado 3B
Boston Red Sox – David Ortiz DH
Toronto Blue Jays – Josh Donaldson 3B
Tampa Bay Rays – Kevin Kiermaier CF
New York Yankees – Dellin Betances RP
AL Central
Chicago White Sox – Chris Sale SP
Kansas City Royals – Alex Gordon LF
Cleveland Indians – Francisco Lindor SS
Detroit Tigers – J.D. Martinez RF
Minnesota Twins – Joe Mauer 1B
AL West
Oakland Athletics – Sonny Gray SP
Texas Rangers – Adrian Beltre 3B
Seattle Mariners – Felix Hernandez SP
Los Angels Angels of Anaheim – Mike Trout CF
Houston Astros – Jose Altuve 2B
Now, as the season progresses and players improve, we could see changes here and there like Miguel Cabrera in place of J.D. Martinez. Overall, this looks to be a fair projection. Of the 15 players selected, there were three starting pitchers, one reliever, no catchers, one first baseman, one second baseman, three third baseman, one shortstop, one left fielder, two centerfielders, one rightfielder, and a DH. With nineteen spots left, there is plenty of room left to assemble a complete All Star Game roster.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
NL East
Washington Nationals – Bryce Harper RF
New York Mets – Noah Syndergaard SP
Philadelphia Phillies – Vincent Velasquez SP
Miami Marlins – Giancarlo Stanton RF
Atlanta Braves – Freddie Freeman (?) 1B
NL Central
Chicago Cubs – Anthony Rizzo 1B
St. Louis Cardinals – Yadier Molina C
Pittsburgh Pirates – Starling Marte LF
Cincinnati Reds – Zack Cozart SS
Milwaukee Brewers – Ryan Braun LF
NL West
Los Angeles Dodgers – Clayton Kershaw SP
Arizona Diamondbacks – Paul Goldschmidt 1B
Colorado Rockies – Nolan Arenado 3B
San Francisco Giants – Buster Posey C
San Diego Padres – Melvin Upton, Jr. LF
In total, the National League would have three starters, no relievers, two catchers, three first basemen, no second basemen, one third baseman, one shortstop, three left fielders, no centerfielders, and two rightfielders. Again, there’s plenty of room to fill in the rest of the roster.
OVERALL
By no means should my choices here be interpreted as the final say or who I would vote for if these rules were adapted. It’s only a guess.
With that said, there are some young and exciting players here like Syndergaard and Lindor. There are bona five superstars like Harper and Trout (who also qualify as young and exciting). Also, there are players here like Freeman and Velasquez, who may not be chosen to an All Star Game, but nevertheless, they would be there because every team must be represented. Look, if you’re going to name someone to the All Star Game who wouldn’t be there but for one rule, you might as well let those fans pick the players.
At the end of the day, these are mostly deserving All Stars, and their inclusion would not hamper Ned Yost’s or Terry Collins’ ability to field a team. It’s time to let fans pick their own players.
In a do-or-die Game Five, Terry Collins went to Noah Syndergaard in the seventh to go in there and shut down the Dodgers and preserve the Mets 3-2 lead.
Without the need to keep his stamina for eight move innings, Syndergaard let it fly. He averaged 100 MPH with his fastball and his sinker. Both pitches were 2-3 MPH faster than what he threw in the regular season. He would only throw 17 pitches with one slider and three curveballs. Syndergaard came in with heat and struck out two in a scoreless inning.
Watching that inning allowed you to continue the dream of winning the World Series. You wondered what it would be like to see Syndergaard in the bullpen fulltime. You wanted to see how much better he could be.
If you polled each and every Mets fan, they would tell you that Syndergaard would win at least Cy Young. They would tell you he would win at least one World Series with the Mets. They would tell you he had the drive to get better and better. For once, it wouldn’t be the fans’ fervor, it was a widely held belief in baseball circles.
But this? I don’t think anyone could’ve expected to see what we’ve seen out of Syndergaard so far this year.
Last year, Syndergaard threw 17 pitches over 100 MPH. He averaged 98 MPH on his fastball and sinker. He averaged 89 MPH on his change, 88 MPH on his slider, and 81 MPH on his curve. This year Syndergaard is just in another stratosphere.
He’s already thrown 12 pitches over 100 MPH including hitting 102 on the radar gun. He’s actually throwing all of his pitches harder. His fastball and sinker are up to 99 MPH. His change up is 90 MPH, which is about the same speed as Bartolo Colon‘s fastball. His improved and more often thrown slider averages 93 MPH, and his curveball is at 83 MPH. His improved pitching has definitely left an impression:
How hard does Syndergaard throw? Plawecki blocked a pitch w/ his chest. Theres now an imprint where his necklace was pic.twitter.com/Sd52ije5PZ
— Steve Gelbs (@SteveGelbs) April 19, 2016
Think about it this way. Syndergaard got one inning to throw it as hard as he possibly could for one inning when the Mets season was on the line. So far this year, Syndergaard has been throwing harder than that, and he has been doing that for approximately seven innings this year. How do you describe all of this?
David Wright calls him “a maxed out video game player.” Fans have given him the Thor moniker.
At this point, there are no words. There are no apt comparisons. Syndergaard truly is doing something we have never seen before. The scary part is he is continuing to improve. There’s no telling where Syndergaard goes from here. All we can do is sit back and enjoy the ride.