Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
Player Data: Age: 33 (6/19/1988), B/T: L/R
Primary Stats: 15 G, 92 IP, 7-2 W/L record, 1.08 ERA, 0.55 WHIP, 146 K, 13.27 SO/BB .364 BA (as batter in 33 PA)
Advanced Stats: 4.3 bWAR, 372 ERA+, 1.23 FIP, 3.0 WPA
2021 salary: $33.5 million
Grade: A+
2021 Review
Jacob deGrom entered the 2021 season with sky-high expectations. Over the previous three seasons, which spanned 76 starts, deGrom had posted a 2.10 ERA. He finished top-three in NL Cy Young voting in all three years, taking home the hardware in both 2018 and 2019. If it were not for the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, deGrom may have very well ended up winning a third consecutive Cy Young award.
Unsurprisingly, deGrom was handed the ball on Opening Day – delayed by a few days because of a COVID-19 outbreak among the Nationals – and dominated. On April 5 against the Phillies, deGrom threw six shutout innings, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out seven batters. A common theme of many of his starts, deGrom earned a no-decision after the Mets bullpen blew a 2-0 lead in the eighth inning.
In his next start, this time at home against the Marlins, deGrom lasted eight frames, allowing five hits, no walks, and just one run on a solo homer. For the first of an eventual four times all season, he struck out at least 14 batters in a game. He’d reach this magical number of 14 K’s just a week later in Denver, earning his first win of the season.
On April 23, deGrom threw the best game of his season, one of the best games of his career, and one of the best pitched games in Mets history. In a nine-inning complete-game shutout, the Mets ace allowed just two hits, walked none, and struck out a career-high 15 batters on just 109 pitches. However, this was the only time in 2021 that deGrom threw over 100 pitches in a start.
This historic performance marked just the third time since 1999 that a pitcher struck out 14 or more batters in three consecutive starts. He ended April with a miniscule 0.51 ERA. In May, he made three starts, pitching at least five innings and allowing one run or fewer in each outing.
June began with back-to-back starts against the Padres, with deGrom shutting down one of baseball’s toughest lineups. In 13 combined innings, deGrom allowed just four hits, one walk, and struck out 21 batters. No Padre batters scored against Jake. In fact, he did not allow any runs at all over his first four June starts, which totaled 21 innings.
This incredible run included a masterful three perfect innings against the Cubs, in which deGrom struck out eight batters. Despite leaving the game after that with “right shoulder soreness,” he was back on the mound by June 21, when he threw five shutout frames against the Braves.
By his last start of June, signs of a “decline” were beginning to show for deGrom. On June 26 against Philadelphia, deGrom allowed four hits and two runs in six innings. While this would be a great start for almost any other pitcher, it was the first time deGrom had allowed multiple runs in a game since April 17. On July 1 and 7, deGrom would again allow multiple runs in starts, which would end up being his final appearances of 2021. Those final two games saw him toss 24 K’s, but also allow three home runs.
By mid-July, deGrom was placed on the injured list with a shoulder injury. The pain lingered throughout the summer and by September, it was reported to have been a UCL sprain. Make no mistake about it, though, deGrom’s injury-shortened season should not distract from the sheer dominance he displayed from April through July.
Among qualified pitchers, deGrom led the league in average four-seam fastball velocity at 99.2 miles per hour. He also led the league’s starting pitchers in number of 100-plus MPH pitches thrown by a wide margin, throwing 185 pitches that reached triple-digit velocity.
His season resume would be incomplete without mentioning his excellence at the plate. DeGrom began the season with a four-game hitting streak, while collecting a base knock in seven of his first eight games this year. In that April 23 shutout against the Nationals, he also went 2-for-4 as a hitter, including a double and a RBI.
The shortened season and injury does not diminish the fact that deGrom deserves every bit of A+ grade he received here. If his name is written on some 2021 Cy Young ballots as a fourth or fifth place finisher, it wouldn’t be too shocking as the three months he did pitch were just that amazing.
2022 Outlook
Barring any offseason setbacks with the elbow injury that kept deGrom sidelined this year, he should be fully healthy again for the start of spring training in February. In an expected winter of change for the Mets, deGrom will remain one of the few, absolutely certain, reliable players for this pitching staff. On March 31, deGrom will take the ball on Opening Day as he looks to win that elusive third Cy Young trophy.
