Jacob deGrom, RHP

Player Data: Age: 32, B/T: R/R
Primary Stats: 16 G, 68 IP, 4-2, 2.38 ERA, 7 HR, 18 BB, 104 SO, 0.956 WHIP
Advanced Stats: 178 ERA+, 2.26 FIP, 2.5 bWAR. 2.6 fWAR

Free Agent: 2024
2020 Salary: $25 M

Grade: A+

2020 Review

The story of the Mets season was their inability to find any consistency in their starting rotation. But there was one guy that was delivering every fifth day.

Jacob deGrom put together another dominant season for the Mets, leading the National League in strikeouts with 104. In a lot of ways deGrom’s stuff was even filthier this year than it had been in his previous two Cy Young seasons.

The 32-year-old was suddenly hitting triple digits on the radar gun with regularity, as he averaged 98.6 mph on his fastball for the season. The uptick in velocity generated a ton of swings-and-misses, with deGrom posting a career-best 13.9 K/9 rate. DeGrom faced 268 batters in his 12 starts and struck out nearly 4o percent of them (38.8 K%).

DeGrom’s season began on Opening Day, when he pitched five scoreless innings in a 1-0 win against the Atlanta Braves. DeGrom was still getting stretched out at the time, only throwing 77 pitches. In his next start, deGrom surprisingly struck out just four batters across six innings pitched.

Still, he yielded just two runs to the Boston Red Sox and left handing the bullpen a 3-2 lead. Unfortunately Seth Lugo and Justin Wilson combined to allow four runs and the Mets went on to lose 6-5. From that point on, the Mets went on a stretch in which they won seven of deGrom’s next eight starts.

Part of that including the rare occurrence where deGrom made four-consecutive starts against the Miami Marlins. The highlight of those matchups came on August 26th, when deGrom carved up the Fish for 14 strikeouts, tying his career-high.

DeGrom’s final showdown with Miami did not go as planned, as he allowed four runs in a loss, although only one of those runs was earned.

One of the biggest revelations this year when it came to deGrom was that the Mets actually started to score runs for him. Across his first two starts in September, New York gave deGrom a combined 32 runs of support. Jake did his part in those blowout victories, yielding just one run each against the Phillies and the Blue Jays.

Unfortunately deGrom’s next start was marred with injury and ineffectiveness, as he left after throwing just 40 pitches in two innings. Pitching against the Phillies again, deGrom allowed three runs on four hits, never looking comfortable. Nevertheless, the Mets ace was ready to take the hill again for his next turn and he delivered one final gem.

Facing a really good Tampa Bay Rays team, which is currently in the ALCS, deGrom once again struck out 14 batters. DeGrom suffered a tough loss though, as his run support dried up and the Mets lost 2-1.

When deGrom took the mound on September 26th, the Mets were still mathematically alive for the playoffs and needed their ace to deliver again. With Cy Young considerations also being taken into account, deGrom struggled against the Washington Nationals, giving up three runs in just five innings pitched.

The stiffest of graders could have knocked deGrom’s grade from an A+ down to an A based on this performance in a do-or-die game, but I believe context matters here.

While he did allow three runs, two of them could have been attributed to the defense played behind him. Dominic Smith had a scary collision with the wall on a flyball that turned into an inside-the-park home run. There was also a run scored on a “wild pitch”, in which Wilson Ramos made zero attempt to block the pitch.

Ultimately deGrom’s grade is based on his overall dominance which is still Cy Young-worthy, even if the award ends up in the hands of another pitcher this year.

2021 Outlook

The outlook for Jacob deGrom next season is less about what he is going to deliver, and more about the team they try to build around him. It is crime that deGrom has not pitched in the postseason since the World Series in 2015 and with the aid of new ownership, the Mets will look to end that drought.

New York needs to add some depth to their starting rotation behind deGrom, but at least they can count on another season of excellence from their ace.