MIke Piazza
If you ask a New York Giants fan about the postseason, they will reminisce about Super Bowl XLII and XLVI. You will hear about the Helmet Catch and Eli hitting Manningham down the sideline for 38 yards. You know what you don’t hear about? Fassell having the Giants ill prepared for Super Bowl XXXV or Trey Junkin.
The reason is simple when you win, you remember it forever. However, when you lose, and you lose and lose, that memory festers and worsens year to year.
For years and even until this day, you will occasionally hear Howie Rose bemoan Yogi Berra‘s decision to go with Tom Seaver on short rest over George Stone in Game 6 of the 1973 World Series. One of the reasons that memory lingers is the Mets where irrelevant from 1974 until 1984.
After 1986, Mets fans were in their glory, and to this day many fans who got to live through 1986 talk about it as fondly today as they probably did when they got to work on October 28, 1986.
Behind them is a group of Mets fans who never really got to live through the 1986 World Series. As a result, they just know Madoff Scandals and hauting postseason failures:
1988 NLCS
- Davey Johnson botched that series including leaving in Dwight Gooden too long in Game Four. Doc would allow a game tying home run in the top of the ninth to Mike Scioscia.
- It was the last hurrah for Gary Carter and Keith Hernandez who struggled over the final few games of the series, and respectively faced poor and injury plagued 1989 seasons before finding new homes in 1989.
1999 NLCS
- First and foremost, the one thing that should stick out was how those Braves teams just tortured the Mets, and the Mets could never get past them.
- Both John Franco and Armando Benitez blew leads in Game 6 preventing the Mets from sending the series to a seventh game and letting the Mets be the team to do what the Red Sox did to the Yankees five years later.
- Kenny Rogers walked Andruw Jones with the bases loaded to end the series.
2000 World Series
- Timo Perez should have run out that fly ball off the bat of Todd Zeile
- Roger Clemens should have been ejected for throwing a bat at Mike Piazza
- Piazza’s ball goes out if it was just a few degrees warmer
2006 NLCS
- Guillermo Mota shook off Paul Lo Duca
- Billy Wagner cannot give up a home run to So Taguchi
- Yadier Molina
- Cliff Floyd just missed his pitch, the Jose Reyes liner didn’t fall, and Carlos Beltran struck out looking on an Adam Wainwright curveball
- The subsequent two seasons followed with epic collapses with Tom Glavine not being devastated and an inept Jerry Manuel going to Scott Schoeneweis who gave up the homer that closed Shea for good.
2015 World Series
- Terry Collins making terrible decision after terrible decision.
- Yoenis Cespedes a no-show from the very first defensive play of the World Series.
- Jeurys Familia blowing three saves even if they weren’t all his fault.
- Daniel Murphy overrunning a ball.
- Lucas Duda‘s throw home.
- Matt Harvey for too long in Game 5.
2016 Wild Card Game
- Connor Gillaspie
The list for the aforementioned series really goes on and on, but those were just some of the highlights. After tonight’s game, that is what Astros and Dodgers fans will be doing. They’ll be asking if Dave Roberts was too aggressive with his pitching changes while A.J. Hinch was not aggressive enough. Why didn’t Chris Taylor try to score, or why could Josh Reddick just put the ball in play. Really, the list goes on and on.
For one fan base, they will focus on the things that went wrong. Considering the Dodgers haven’t won in 29 years and the Astros have never won, the pain of this loss is going to hurt all the more. For the fanbase that gets to win this one, they will have memories to cherish for a lifetime, and they will never again be bothered by the what ifs that could have plagued their team in this epic World Series.
With the attacks of the 9/11, all Major League Baseball games were cancelled. They would be cancelled until September 17th. Back then, we all knew and agreed no one should be playing then. It was too soon. If the country wasn’t ready, we knew New York wasn’t ready.
There was work to be done with a city left to mourn. Players went about and did all they could do. They visited different fire stations. Shea Stadium was used as a staging ground for supplies for the rescue efforts that were occurring around the clock. Even when baseball wasn’t being played, baseball was present and part of the healing process.
It was again part of the healing process when baseball games resumed. There were questions whether it was time to return on September 17th. For most, it was time to get back to something that seemed normal. It was time for the healing to begin. Healing did not mean we forget. That was the refrain, “Never Forget.”
Perhaps, there was no more beautiful reminder of that when the Mets took the field in Pittsburgh wearing First Responder caps. It was a beautiful and poignant moment when Brooklyn native, John Franco, who just like the rest of us lost loved one on 9/11, earned a win the Mets first game back while wearing a FDNY cap. With that the healing began.
The healing would continue with the Mets being the first New York team to play a game back in New York. There was a strange aura around that game, one that could never be repeated at a baseball game. There was a mixture of nervousness, pain, hope, and, yes, some curiosity. It all came out as euphoric release as Mike Piazza hit a home run that still resonates to this day:
That moment was important for not just Mets fans, but all of New York. It was safe to go to a baseball game. It was alright to take joy in something as seemingly unimportant as baseball.
Between the relief efforts and that home run, the Mets played a small but important part in the grieving and healing process after 9/11.
Gone might be the 9/11 inscriptions on the sleeves of the jersey. The First Responder caps are certainly gone. Shea Stadium is an ever distant memory. Still, the images of 9/11 and everything that happened in the aftermath life forever.
Sixteen years ago, we knew the Mets shouldn’t be playing on 9/11. However, it feels different now. It seems like the Mets should be playing. At least from a baseball perspective, the Mets were important. Using Shea Stadium as a staging ground was necessary. The players helping at Shea and visiting fire houses mattered. The First Responder caps meant something to people and still do today. That Piazza home run still resonates.
The pain of 9/11 still resonates for many. There are many more important concerns in the world. To that end, it’s not the worst thing in the world the Mets have the day off. It’s far from a travesty. Still, for all of baseball and all of New York, the Mets should be on the field today wearing those First Responder caps.
With the solar eclipse happening, now is as good as any to create a Mets All-Time Solar Eclipse Team. These are players who are included due to their names and not because of their exploits. For example, the will be no Mike Piazza for his moon shots, or Luis Castillo for his losing a ball in the moon.
SP – Tim Redding
He is the great nephew of Joyce Randoph of Honeymooners fame where Ralph threatened to send Alice right to the moon,.
C – Chris Cannizzaro
Cannizzaro is the name of a lunar crater
1B – Lucas Duda
Lucas means light giving
2B –Neil Walker
Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon
3B – Ray Knight
Pretty self explanatory, first sun rays, and then night.
SS – Asdrubal Cabrera
Asdrubal means helped by Baal. Baal is a moon god
OF – Kevin Mitchell
Mitchell was one of the 12 men to walk on the moon
OF – Don Hahn
Hahn means rooster, which is an animal that crows at sunrise.
OF – Victor Diaz
His first and last name combined translate to day conqueror, which is effectively what the eclipse does.
During the June 24th game between the Brooklyn Cyclones and the Hudson Valley Renegades, I was on the field as my father and son threw out the first pitch. During that time, I had the opportunity to meet Cyclones left-handed pitcher Kurt Horne.
The British Columbia native was the Mets 2014 31st round draft pick. The tall left-hander eschewed an opportunity to pitch in college. Instead, at the age of 17, Horne decided to not only sign with the Mets, but to move to the complete opposite end of the continent to fulfill his dream of becoming a Major League Baseball player. Horne agreed to do an interview with me to discuss his path to the Mets organization and his development in the minor leagues.
The natural question to start for someone from Canada is why baseball and not hockey?
Ha ha! Of course, I grew up in a baseball family, I followed after my brother, doing everything he did.I also used to play in the backyard with my grandpa hitting Wiffle balls everyday after school when I was younger, so baseballs in my blood.
So at 6’5″ you were the little brother?
Well, my brother is 6 years older then me, so it took a while to catch up.
I take it your brother was a good baseball player in his own right.
After a sweep of the Giants in San Francisco, fans could allow themselves hope for the 2017 season again. Yes, the Giants are a dreadful team, but there was a lot to like about the Mets in that series. If you dig deeper, there is still things to like about this Mets team.
Jacob deGrom is in a stretch where he has gone at least eight innings in three consecutive starts. This could be the best stretch of his career, which is certainly saying something.
Rafael Montero has now had three consecutive strong outings allowing just two earned runs over his last 14.1 inning pitched. In this stretch, he not only finally looks like a major league pitcher, he looks like a good major league pitcher.
Curtis Granderson has been the best hitting National League outfielder in the month of June (204 wRC+), and he’s been hitting .297/.408/.595 with 13 doubles, two triples, nine homers, and 23 RBI since May 1st.
Jay Bruce has been resurgent hitting .315/.358/.629 with four doubles, eight homers, and 17 RBI. He’s on pace for his first 40 home run season and just his second 100 RBI season.
While acting unprofessional about the switch to second base in the clubhouse, Asdrubal Cabrera has been nothing but professional on the field going 7-14 in the series and playing a very good second base.
Lucas Duda is flat out raking hitting .375/.474/.813 over the past week, and as we know when Duda gets hot like this, he can carry the team for a long stretch. Just ask the 2015 Nationals.
Lost in all of that is Yoenis Cespedes being Cespedes, Addison Reed being a dominant closer, and Seth Lugo stabilizing the rotation. There is even the specter of David Wright returning to the lineup. When you combine that with the Mets schedule, this team is primed to reel off nine straight wins.
If the Mets were to win nine straight, they would be just one game under .500. At that point, the Mets will be red hot heading to another big series in Washington. Last time the teams played there, the Mets took two of three. After that is a bad Cardinals team before the All Star Break.
Combine this hypothetical Mets run with a Rockies team losing six straight, and the Mets are right back in the mix with a bunch of teams hovering around .500 for a shot at the postseason. Last year, the Mets were under .500 as late as August 19th, and they still made the postseason. Throw in a potential Amed Rosario call up, and you really have things cooking. Why not this year’s team?
Well, that’s easy. The bullpen is a mess. You have no idea when Noah Syndergaard and Neil Walker can return if they can return at all. Jose Reyes is playing everyday. The route to the postseason partially relies upon Montero being a good major league pitcher, and the Mets calling up Rosario. At this point, those are two things no one should rely.
As a fan? We should all enjoy the ride for as long as it will carry us. As Mets fans, we have seen miracles. We saw this team win in 1969. We saw a team dead in the water in 1973 go all the way to game seven of the World Series. We watched a Mookie Wilson grounder pass through Bill Buckner‘s legs. We saw Mike Piazza homer in the first game in New York after 9/11.
As fans, we can hold out hope for the impossible. We can dream. Sandy doesn’t have that luxury. He needs to look at the reality of the Mets situation and make the best moves he possibly can. That includes trading Bruce, Duda, Granderson, and any other veteran who can get him a good return on the trade market.
That still shouldn’t stop us from dreaming. Who knows? Maybe Rosario, Gavin Cecchini, and Dominic Smith can led the Mets to the postseason after Sandy is done selling.
The Mets have added a whole other draft class and with them comes hope they will become great players that will lead the team to another World Series. They were close with Michael Conforto in 2015, and hopefully, they will be close again.
Overall, many will tell you the draft is a crap shoot. Sometimes the best player you draft is towards the end of the draft. The Dodgers can tell you about that with Mike Piazza. Other times, you draft the incredible talent, but you are unable to sign him to a deal. He re-enters the draft, and you see him go and succeed elsewhere. Worse yet, you do sign him, and you trade him before he figures it out.
In any event, the New York Mets have been drafting since 1965. Can you name the 10 best players the Mets have ever drafted? Good luck!
As part of the unfortunate layoffs at ESPN this past week, their baseball coverage was gutted. One of the top baseball reporters there is, Jayson Stark, was let go. In addition, Baseball Tonight contributors Doug Glanville, Dallas Braden, and Raul Ibanez were also let go. In fact, Baseball Tonight is essentially no more. What was once one of the top shows covering baseball is now a once a week pre-game show for ESPN’s Sunday Night Game.
While you can certainly argue Baseball Tonight is not what is used to be, it still provided quality coverage. Yes, Baseball Tonight was harmed by the MLB Network both in terms of the depth of coverage and the quality of analysts. Still, Baseball Tonight mattered and had really good nights. That’s no more.
In place of Baseball Tonight, ESPN has opted to go with Intentional Talk as its daily baseball coverage. Both ESPN and MLB Network will air the show. For a network that values First Take and Pardon the Interruption over good reporting, this should be no surprise.
Intentional Talk is as bad as it gets. It’s just Charlie Rose and Kevin Millar with forced humor. As usual, forced humor isn’t funny. It’s what made the 2013 All Star and Legends Celebrity Softball game almost unbearable.
It should have been a lot of fun. You had Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, John Franco, and Mike Piazza on the same field. There was also former Met Rickey Henderson playing. Comedian Kevin James stole the show by taking the game way too seriously. Over all of this was Rose and Millar doing play-by-play. It was awful, not funny, and the worst thing there was at Citi Field that year during a season where Matt Harvey had a season ending injury.
The addition of Intentional Talk to ESPN is a reminder they do not care about good coverage or baseball for that matter. They mostly care about personalities, and Millar was a memorable one from his playing days. It doesn’t matter that the show isn’t good or watchable. The only thing that matters is it isn’t Baseball Tonight.
Overall, the biggest loss we might have seen from the ESPN layoffs was them essentially announcing they are ceasing their high quality baseball coverage. That’s a shame.
So without Yoenis Cespedes and with Max Scherzer in the mound, the Mets really had no chance to beat the Nationals, right? Well, at least for one night, it was no Yo no problem.
With Cespedes out, someone had to replace him as the spark plug in the Mets offense. Tonight, Travis d’Arnaud was d’Man. In the second inning, his no doubt blast gave the Mets their first lead in over nine games:
Intersting enough, do you remember the last time the Mets had a lead in a game?
https://twitter.com/studi_metsimus/status/858101051030990852
Unfortunately, that lead was short lived. In the bottom of the second, Jacob deGrom first allowed a solo home run to Ryan Zimmerman and then a two run homer to Matt Wieters. The Mets short lived 2-0 lead became a 3-2 deficit. From, there it was all Mets.
deGrom settled in and started mowing down the Nationals. He didn’t allow another run in the final five innings he pitched. He was terrific striking out 12 while allowing those three runs. For the first time in nine games, he was a Mets pitcher that recorded a win. He was the first Mets starter to record a win since Zack Wheeler got the win on April 12th.
He got the win because his battery mate made sure he had enough run support:
A look at Travis d'Arnaud's two home-run swings tonight. #Mets pic.twitter.com/ybrIWMIcrY
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) April 29, 2017
It was d’Arnaud’s first five RBI game of his career. He once again showed his offensive potential on a night reminiscent of Mike Piazza. He even had a 445 foot blast like Piazza used to do.
The Mets then got to the Nationals bullpen in the eighth. It was a refreshing change after a terrible Nationals bullpen dominated the Mets batters at Citi Field.
Jose Reyes led off the inning with a double off Jacob Turner. He moved to third on a fielder’s choice by T.J. Rivera. With Zimmerman coming off the bag, the Mets had runners at the corners with no outs. The Mets would then load the bases when d’Arnaud worked out a walk.
Kevin Plawecki then pinch hit for deGrom and hit an RBI single through the drawn in infield. Yes, it did really happen. Michael Conforto made it 7-3 when he worked out a bases loaded walk.
The damage would be limited there as Asdrubal Cabrera hit into the 3-2-4 double play, and Jay Bruce grounded out. Still, the Mets got two insurance runs. It turns out they needed them.
Jerry Blevins came on to start the eighth, and he allowed a one out single to Trea Turner. After he struck out Bryce Harper, Collins turned to Addison Reed to get out of the inning.
Reed was greeted by Zimmerman’s second homer of the game. Things got tense when Daniel Murphy ripped a single, and Reyes made an error allowing Anthony Rendon to reach. Reed was struggling, but bore down and got a huge strikeout of Jayson Werth to get out of the jam.
This set the stage for Jeurys Familia to record his first save of the season.
It wasn’t easy as the Nationals immediately loaded the bases off Familia with three straight singles to lead off the inning. The last one was an Adam Eaton infield single Reyes should’ve played but let go to Cabrera. While Reyes had a good night at the plate going 2-4 with two runs, a walk, double, and a stolen base, he was poor in the field again.
With Eaton coming up lame on the play, Dusty Baker had to use three pinch runners in the inning. Believe it or not, that wasn’t the panic move of the game.
After Familia struck out Turner, Terry Collins went to Josh Edgin to pitch to Harper. Somehow it worked with Edgin getting Harper to hit into the 1-2-3 double play. On a night where the Mets got an improbable win, why not Edgin recording the save there?
Game Notes: With the Cespedes injury, Bruce returned to his familiar RF. The plan is to go with Rivera at first until Lucas Duda, who just began his rehab assignment, is ready to come off the DL. Reyes is heating up going six for his last 14 with a HR. Granderson is in a 1-22 funk and now has a lower batting average than Reyes.
The greatest player, Babe Ruth, built his legend in New York. Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier in New York. We still wax poetic about Willie, Mickey, and the Duke.
New York is the home of some of the greatest games ever played. Bobby Thompson hit the shot heard round the world, and Mookie Wilson hit a little dribbler up the first base line.
Teams that are based in New York have won 35 World Series. This is the most amount of championships belonging to any city in any sport.
Despite the largely debunked story about the origins of baseball, the Baseball Hall of Fame was built and placed in Cooperstown, New York. Naturally, New York teams have the most amount of Hall of Famers.
If baseball is American’s Past Time then New York is its heart and soul. And yet, it took a class of fourth graders from Cooperstown to make the case baseball should be the official sport of the State of New York.
In a report from The Citizen, Ms. Anne Reis’ fourth grade class did the research and made the case that baseball should be the official sport of New York as part of a lesson on official New York State designations. They provided their findings to their local state senator Jim Seward.
Seward has taken the information, and now he has proposed a bill in the legislature to designate baseball as the official sport of New York. Such efforts should thrill baseball fans everywhere. Undoubtedly, it was a special moment for Ms. Reis’ class.
Upon her now former students hearing the news, Ms. Reis said, “”They’re thrilled. They’re in fifth grade at this point, so I went downstairs and went to all the different classrooms and let them know what had happened.”
Hopefully, this designation will become official. We all know how important baseball is to the state. We need not look any further than the importance of Mike Piazza‘s home run in the first game back in New York after the terror attacks of 9/11. Baseball matters, and it matters more in New York than anywhere.
These kids know that, and they did something about it. These children accomplished something by putting in the requisite time and research. It’s a testament to them, and it is a good example for people everywhere.
The Hall of Fame inducted Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines, and Ivan Rodriguez in what should be the first of many Hall of Fame classes we see without a Mets player being inducted. The Mets had to wait 23 years between the elections of Tom Seaver and Mike Piazza. Depending on which hat Carlos Beltran selects when he is likely inducted into the Hall of Fame, the Mets may be waiting even longer than that. How long the Mets wait may depend on the Hall of Fame worthiness of one of the players currently on the Mets roster. Here are some players with a chance to be Hall of Famers one day:
#1 David Wright
Career Stats: .296/.376/.491, 949 R, 1,777 H, 390 2B, 26 3B, 242 HR, 970 RBI, 196 SB
Awards: 7X All-Star, 2X Gold Glove, 2X Silver Slugger
Advanced Stats: 49.9 WAR, 133 OPS+, 133 wRC+
Hall of Fame Metrics: 40.0 WAR7, 45.0 JAWS
The Case For: With his spinal stenosis, Wright has been that rare breed of player that not only spends his whole career with one team, but also winds up owning almost all of a team’s offensive records. At this point in time, he is the career leader in runs, hits, doubles, and RBI. He is only 10 behind Darryl Strawberry for the team home run lead. It is rare that with a franchise in as existence as long as the Mets that the team’s best ever offensive player is not inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Superlatives aside, there is a statistical foundation for Wright’s induction. His 133 OPS+ would be the sixth best by a Hall of Fame third baseman putting him ahead of the likes of Wade Boggs and Ron Santo. His 133 wRC+ would be the third best among third base Hall of Famers with him trailing just Mike Schmidt, Eddie Mathews, and Home Run Baker. His OBP would be the fifth best among Hall of Fame third baseman putting him ahead of the likes of George Brett. His slugging would be third among Hall of Fame third baseman putting him ahead of players like Brooks Robinson.
No matter how you look at it, Wright has been a top five to top ten third baseman all-time. As seen with his Gold Gloves, he is one of the more complete players we have ever seen at the position.
The Case Against: Due in large part of the spinal stenosis, Wright’s peak was not as high as it would be for a traditional Hall of Famer. In fact his WAR, WAR7, and JAWS trail the 67.5/42.7/55.1 an average Hall of Fame third baseman has accumulated in their career. In fact, Wright trails Robin Ventura in WAR and JAWS, and Ventura didn’t garner the 5% necessary to stay on the ballot. Overall, while you can say that Wright at his peak was one of the best third baseman ever, his peak did not last long, and he become too injury prone to put together a great career.
Verdict: Fortunately for Wright, he still has time to put up some more numbers to help bolster his Hall of Fame chances. However, with his spinal stenosis and now cervical fusion, it is hard to imagine him putting up positive WAR seasons that will move the meter enough to classify him as a Hall of Famer.
#2 Yoenis Cespedes
Career Stats: .272/.325/.494, 406 R, 743 H, 149 2B, 22 3B, 137 HR, 453 RBI, 40 SB
Awards: 2X All-Star, 1X Gold Glove, 1X Silver Slugger
Advanced Stats: 18.7 WAR, 124 OPS+, 123 wRC+
Hall of Fame Metrics: 18.7 WAR7, 18.7 JAWS
The Case For: Unlike Wright, who is winding down is career, Cespedes, 31, seems to have quality years ahead of him. The belief in the possibility of becoming a Hall of Famer started on August 1, 2015, which is the first time he set foot in the batter’s box as a member of the New York Mets. Cespedes had the type of finish to the 2015 season people will talk about for years to come. In the final 57 games of the season, Cespedes hit 17 homers and 44 RBI. The Mets went from being three games over .500 and two games out of the division to finishing the season on a 37-22 run and winning the division by seven games. In his Mets career, the Mets are 110-79 with him in the lineup, and a game under .500 when he is not. Simply put, Cespedes is a difference maker.
He’s also a completely different player. From 2012 – 2014, Cespedes was a .263/.316/.464 hitter who averaged 24 homers and 87 RBI. Since coming to the Mets, Cespedes is a .282/.348/.554 hitter who has a 162 game average of 42 homers and 119 RBI. Before becoming a Met, he averaged 3.1 WAR per season. In 2015, his first truly great season, he posted a 6.3 WAR. Last season, in part due to his injuries and his playing out of position, he regressed back to a 2.9 WAR. With him returning to left field, where he is a Gold Glover, he should return to being a player who can post six WAR seasons. If so, Cespedes has a shot of clearing the 65.1 WAR, 41.5 WAR7, and 53.3 JAWS an average Hall of Fame left fielder has accumulated.
The Case Against: Cespedes is already 31 years old, and to ask him to put forth five more MVP level type seasons is unrealistic. The unfortunate truth is Cespedes may have gotten too late a start to his career due to his being born in Cuba, played at a horrendous ballpark in O.co Stadium for a player of his skill set too long, and he became a much improved hitter too late in his career.
Verdict: Unfortunately, Cespedes didn’t do enough early in his career, and it is not likely he’s going to be a truly great player into his mid to late 30s. Overall, is going to go down as a beloved Met, but much like Keith Hernandez, he is going to fall short.
#3 Noah Syndergaard
Career Stats: 23-16, 2.89 ERA, 55 G, 54 GS, 333.2 IP, 384 K, 1.103 WHIP, 10.4 K/9
Awards: 1X All Star
Advanced Stats: 137 ERA+, 2.72 FIP, 7.4 WAR
The Case For: In some sense, Syndergaard represents the trio that includes him, Matt Harvey, and Jacob deGrom. The reason why Syndergaard was selected was he is the youngest, has a fastball that gets over 100 MPH, and he is the only one without any injuries in his young career. Naturally, like with any young pitcher, health is going to be the key.
Last season, we saw Syndergaard scratch the surface of what he can be as a starter. He not only posts high strikeout numbers, but he generally induces weak contact. In fact, his 0.5 HR/9 was the best mark in the major leagues last year. Not so coincidentally, so was his 2.29 FIP. To cap off the season, Syndergaard pitched in a do-or-die Wild Card Game against Madison Bumgarner, who is the best big game pitcher we have in baseball. Syndergaard not only matched him scoreless inning for scoreless inning, he also out-pitched Bumgarner for those seven innings.
Syndergaard has slowly been moving from one of the most talented pitchers in the game to one of the best pitchers in the game. At 23, we can expect him to have many great seasons, and quite possibly multiple Cy Young awards. Really, at this point in his career, anything is possible.
The Case Against: That’s the problem with anything being possible. At one point in time Dwight Gooden was a no-doubt Hall of Famer. In fact, Gooden’s 1985 season was one of the greatest regular seasons a starting pitcher has ever had. However, as we know Gooden never made the Hall of Fame. Yes, much of that had to do with Gooden’s drug problems, but it should also be noted Gooden dealt with arm injuries as well. He probably threw too many innings at an early age, and he would eventually needed shoulder surgery. This as much as anything had to do with Gooden’s career falling apart.
Besides Gooden, you can name any number of pitchers who went from great to broken. That’s the nature of pitching.
Verdict: Syndergaard not only has the talent, but he also has the drive to be truly great. As long as luck holds out, and he listens to his body, like he did last year, Syndergaard should remain healthy putting him in good position to make a run at the Hall of Fame.