Noah Syndergaard, RHP

Player Data: Age: 25, B/T: R/L, Free Agency: 2022

2017 Primary Stats: 7 GS, 30.1 IP, 1-2 Record, 2.97 ERA, 1.31 FIP, 1.055 WHIP, 10.1 K/9, 0.8 WAR

2018 Projected Salary: $1.9 million

Grade: Incomplete

2017 Review:

Noah Syndergaard‘s season was essentially over before it even began.

On April 30, the right-hander went down with a partially torn lat muscle after refusing an MRI and didn’t return to big league action until September.

Upon returning, he would come in to pitch an inning, just to get his feet wet and to get back on the mound.

Syndergaard said that he might make a slight change on the hill going into next season after having had to deal with being out for an extended amount of time.

“I think I’ll be mostly the same guy,” he said, but with a caveat. “I’d like to have a little more body control, as I don’t necessarily have to be max effort every pitch. That way if I can work comfortably like 96 and pump it up to 100, 101 when I need to, then I think that’s like adding an extra pitch to your repertoire.”

While it was a lost season for Syndergaard, I’m sure new Mets skipper Mickey Callaway and pitching coach Dave Eiland will work closely with the 25-year-old to make sure he stays healthy.

All in all, it was nice to see Thor return to the hill late in the season and throw gas, though I would have preferred he just waited until 2018. However, it was something he really wanted to do. I’m just glad he was limited in his appearances.

Did You Know:

Syndergaard’s 2.91 ERA is fourth-best in the majors since 2015 (min. 300 innings pitched). Trails just Clayton Kershaw (2.04 ERA), Jake Arrieta (2.71 ERA) and Max Scherzer (2.78 ERA).

2018 Outlook:

Apart from Jacob deGrom, I believe Syndergaard is the only pitcher in the rotation who will return in 2018 seamlessly from his injury this past season.

Matt Harvey, Steven Matz and Zack Wheeler are all big question marks, but deGrom and Syndergaard will anchor the staff from atop the rotation.

If anything, I hope Syndergaard learned from refusing the MRI and will be more conscious of doing what is best for him and the team.

Hopefully with a new coaching regime and the training staff turnover, it will help guys like Syndergaard in preventing injury. It seems like Callaway and crew have a plan, and I hope it is something that really helps the team out.

If he can stay healthy, I expect him to be in vintage form in 2018 and be one of the more dominant forces in the league.