Jacob deGrom, SP
Bats/Throws: L/R
DOB: June 19, 1988 (27 on Opening Day)
Contract Status: 3rd year pre-arbitration (Salary: $607,000)
2015 Recap
In a year when Mets starting pitching soared to heights not seen in a very long time, Jacob deGrom led the way. A year removed form a dominant 2014 season that earned him NL Rookie of the Year honors, deGrom improved on his performance in just about every respect.
Over 191 innings, deGrom put up a 2.54 ERA, 2.70 FIP, and a 2.92 xFIP. Overall, his 5.2 fWAR was the highest of any Met, position player or pitcher.
Already known for pinpoint control and the ability to strike out nearly anyone, deGrom saw his BB/9 rate drop from 2.76 to 1.79 and his K/9 rate rise from 9.24 to 9.66. His K/9, BB/9, and K/BB rates were all within the top ten in baseball. For the year, deGrom finished seventh in the very competitive NL Cy Young Award race.
DeGrom improved in just abut every category on the mound, giving up fewer line drives, fewer hard hit balls, and even got more swings on pitches outside the strike zone.
2016 Projections
Marcel – 169 IP, 2.93 ERA, 9.2 K/9, 2.3 BB/9
Steamer – 203 IP, 3.17 ERA, 9.29 K/9, 2.28 BB/9
ZiPS – 178.1 IP, 2.83 ERA, 9.39 K/9, 2.32 BB/9
Almost every one of deGrom’s various indicators and peripherals say that last season wasn’t a fluke. He now has two seasons under his belt of being one of the league’s best pitchers.
Watching him, I don’t see someone getting by with luck. Like the rest of the young pitchers on the staff, he is being carried by an awesome repertoire of nasty pitches and good command.
Fangraphs puts out a cool statistic that uses linear weights to measure the effectiveness of pitches, which points to deGrom having statistically nasty stuff as well. (For those who have never heard of wFB, wCH, etc: it is similar to wRAA.) Over the last two seasons, deGrom’s fastball ranks fifth in baseball at 33.5 runs above average. His changeup, meanwhile, comes in at a respectable 12th.
In terms of power, deGrom’s 95 mile per hour fastball ranked seventh among qualified pitchers this season. The biggest asset all the big guns on the Mets’ staff have is the ability to overpower hitters, which helps when they otherwise aren’t on their best game. There have been concerns about deGrom’s velocity so far this spring, where his fastball has been sitting at 91-93 miles per hour instead of in the mid-90s. However, deGrom chalks that up to taking more time off this past offseason because of how many innings he threw in 2015. That’s a perfectly reasonable explanation, so I won’t be too worried about deGrom unless this continues weeks into the season. I still think he is a prime candidate to compete for the Cy Young Award.
