Over New York Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom‘s first nine starts in 2019, he put up an uncharacteristically pedestrian 3.98 ERA with a slightly more palatable 3.37 FIP, 67 strikeouts, 14 walks and seven home runs allowed.
Over the course of his entire NL Cy Young Award-winning 2018 season, deGrom, 30, allowed just 10 home runs. Beyond reported changes in the baseball this season and their purported effects, something was clearly off with the elite right-hander.
In his May 17 start in Miami (8-6 loss), deGrom allowed seven runs (six earned) on nine hits with three strikeouts and no walks over five innings of work.
After the game (per Christina De Nicola of MLB.com), Mets skipper Mickey Callaway acknowledged his ace got a bit beat up, but alluded to the ceiling deGrom possesses as a pitcher and seemed pretty confident he would get back on track.
“They put some good swings on him. I know he’s probably frustrated after that tonight, but he’s got to pick himself up, continue to work. What he’s capable of, go out there next time and make the adjustment.”
Needless to say, adjustments were made.
From his next start on May 22 through his most recent outing on August 11, deGrom’s 1.97 ERA (second among qualified NL starters; Hyun-Jin Ryu, 1.40), 2.51 FIP (first), 11.74 strikeouts per nine (third; Robbie Ray, 12.09), 0.75 home runs per nine (Ryu, 0.43), and 3.6 wins above replacement (FanGraphs; first) indicate that Jacob deGrom is undoubtedly back in form.
That impressive stretch catapulted deGrom back atop the league leaderboards (2.68 ERA is fifth in NL, 2.81 FIP is second, 3.30 xFIP is third), and it couldn’t have come at a more beneficial time for the Mets. It also coincided with the Mets, as a team, coming together and making a welcome return to relevance.
Coincidental or not, heading into Saturday night’s tilt at Kansas City, the Mets stand two games behind the Cubs and Phillies for the second NL wild-card spot and nine games back of Atlanta in the NL East.
With a run at the division looking more and more like an unrealistic goal but the wild-card still very much within reach, deGrom’s leadership at the top of this rotation is the guiding hand this talented group needs to stay on track.
Throughout the second half — after the pitching-rich-getting-richer acquisition of Marcus Stroman from Toronto at the deadline — the Mets’ starters own a 3.28 ERA (second; Dodgers, 3.26).
Noah Syndergaard, Zack Wheeler, Steven Matz, and Stroman have all done their respective parts in making this one of the more treacherous starting-fives in the league, but deGrom leading the way gives this group that much more allure. And talent. Shipping containers full of talent.
For the Mets to stay alive in this unexpected playoff push, Jacob deGrom and the rest of the Flushing Five will have to remain at the very top of their games. If everyone else does their jobs, this could be an exciting final five weeks of baseball.
