So it’s no secret that I’m pro Noah Syndergaard.
In 2016, it was smooth sailing. 2015? Throwing fire out of the bullpen in the playoffs? Great time to be a Noah fan!
2019? Not so much.
As you know, he missed the entire 2020 campaign, brief as it was, following Tommy John surgery. Now, we find ourselves in 2021.
I just want to let you know that my confidence hasn’t wavered. Also, I’m doubling down. The Mets should extend Noah Syndergaard!
After this season, Noah Syndergaard will be a free agent. I know, time flies. Let’s take a look at which pitchers will join him on the open market.
Um, that’s not good.
I can be talked into Kevin Gausman or Dylan Bundy. Marcus Stroman, too.
Zack Greinke? He’s 38. Justin Verlander? He’s 39. Max Scherzer? He’s 37.
Clayton Kershaw? Let’s just assume, for the purposes of this experiment, that he’s going to retire a Dodger.
Syndergaard is the class of this free agent pitching crop. Now, saying that requires a bit of faith. “Thor” hasn’t pitched since September of 2019 and is recovering from a major medical procedure.
Still, I firmly believe that Syndergaard, out of the pitchers that will be available, is the pitcher that the Mets should build around.
I know. There are plenty of Met fans who disagree with me. There are a few narratives that surround Syndergaard which have spread like wildfire.
Instead of talking about them, let’s do this. Here is a list of the 30 best pitchers since 2015, the year in which Syndergaard made his debut.
Noah Syndergaard is ranked 14th. On a list which ranks pitchers by WAR, Syndergaard is ranked 14th in all of baseball since his debut. For a pitcher who missed most of 2017 and all of 2020? That’s pretty good.
Since 2015, Syndergaard is on a list of phenomenal pitchers. Of the 13 hurlers who are above him, at least half will be in Cooperstown one day!
I’m not saying that we should get his bust ready. I just think the 28 year old Syndergaard is a good piece to gamble on going forward.
He boasts a career strikeouts/nine innings of 9.74 and a strikeout percentage of 26.4%, both of which put Syndergaard among the top 15 in baseball among pitchers with 600+ innings pitched.
The tall righty is just 28. Tommy John is not a death sentence. In fact, we may be able to get Syndergaard at a discounted rate as he’ll likely miss the first 2 or 3 months of the 2021 season.
He wants to be here.
He is a big game pitcher. He has a World Series win under his belt. A victory he claimed as a rookie.
There are a lot of Met fans who have seemed to forget 2016. Hey, the way that season ended? I don’t blame them.
But, here’s a quick refresher. Everyone in the Met rotation went down. Syndergaard, in his first full season, led the team to the Wildcard game. He then went toe to toe with one of the best postseason pitchers ever, holding the San Francisco Giants scoreless over seven innings.
2016 was Syndergaard’s best season.
I don’t believe he has peaked.