A day after Kevin Kernan and Joel Sherman’s report in the New York Post brought to light New York Mets starter Noah Syndergaard‘s alleged displeasure with Wilson Ramos catching him on Sunday — and subsequent meeting with general manager Brodie Van Wagenen regarding the matter — the 27-year-old spoke to the team’s media corps on Tuesday in regard to the incident and its aftermath.
“First and foremost, the whole idea that I was livid […] was completely false. [Van Wagenen and I] had a very cordial and adult conversation about the matter,” Syndergaard said (video via Anthony DiComo, MLB.com). “As far as [Ramos], I’ve got nothing but respect for the guy. It doesn’t change our relationship. He busts his a– every day.”
“My main concern was having an open dialogue with the front office and coaching staff of my initial frustration of why there [are] these extreme splits with different catchers […] I know in terms of pitchers and catchers, there’s a certain ‘it’ factor, a symbiotic relationship that two guys can possess. It’s all about being comfortable out there.”
Over the course of the 2019 season, the right-hander has a 5.09 ERA when pitching to Ramos and a 2.45 ERA over 66 innings throwing to Tomas Nido. In his first and only start pitching to the Mets’ third catcher, Rene Rivera (7-3 win over the Nats on September 2), he threw seven scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts and no walks.
When asked if he was still concerned over who would be catching him in his starts, Syndergaard replied, “As of right now, no,” before expanding on the scenario from his perspective.
“I’m just working on becoming more consistent with whoever’s behind the plate and I’m going to go out there and compete with whoever’s behind the plate.”
When asked about his relationship with the organization, Syndergaard said, “As of right now, the 25, 40 guys in the clubhouse, those guys are my family.” Take that as you will.
We’ll keep you posted with new information as it becomes available.
