Being from Las Vegas, NV, I am still 300 miles from the nearest MLB ballpark; however, I’m just a mile or two away from the Triple-A Las Vegas 51’s home.
I went to the first game of a double-header last night and watched Noah Syndergaard absolutely throttle the Albuquerque Isotopes over seven innings.
Syndergaard’s fastball velocity was consistently in the high 90’s, and his curve was lethal. Coupled with his teammate’s hitting (his as well, double, run scored) and amazing infield defense, the game was a literal breeze.
The question is how much longer will we Las Vegans enjoy this prospect? I can only imagine he’ll be in the Mets bullpen, if not rotation, very soon.
A scout who was also on hand last night told Andy Martino of the Daily News, “Best I have ever seen him pitch. I think he’s ready.”
The question however becomes, are the Mets ready? What has to happen for Syndergaard to join a stacked Mets rotation?
The Mets are already juggling between Rafael Montero, who starts tonight, and Dillon Gee, who pitched an absolute gem last night. That game probably entrenched Gee as the fifth starter with Montero like relegated to spot starter.
Then you have Steve Matz who has actually outperformed Syndergaard for Las Vegas and is two years older and also major league ready.
Cashman Center, where the 51’s play, is very comparative to Citi Field, so I can only imagine the “new surroundings” aspect won’t be too drastic of a transition for Syndergaard when the time comes.
Either way, I expect by season’s end that these upstart Mets are jockeying for their position in the postseason, and watching a Syndergaard start live will require me to travel 3,000 miles instead of 2 miles. Guess I’d better enjoy that quality pitching while it’s still in my backyard.
