Noah Syndergaard looked phenomenal on Monday in his Grapefruit League debut for the New York Mets.
In a two-inning appearance that looked more like a pitching machine with the dial set to 11, turned down to 10, then maxed out once again, Noah Syndergaard had himself one of the more impressive Spring Training outings I can remember. His fastball-fastball-92 MPH changeup pitch sequence in his strikeout of reigning-AL MVP Jose Altuve was simply jaw-dropping.
This was coming from a pitcher who missed nearly all of last season with a nasty injury (partially torn lateral muscle). For him to come out of the gate looking like he hasn’t missed a beat shows the dedication and work ethic of this young flamethrower. And the talent. It shows, in bucketfuls, his gluttonous stockpile of talent.
There has been some talk on social media, from prominent baseball pundits in some cases, speculating that Noah Syndergaard will be in the conversation for the NL CY Young Award this season. This is coming after two innings. Granted, these were two amazing innings of work for the 25-year old, but they were only two innings.
Syndergaard’s track record, albeit a short one, speaks for itself. In 61 career starts over the course of parts-of-three seasons, his WAR is a staggering 9.3. His ERA+ is 136. Throw in his more-conventional, but still mind-blowing, 1.099 WHIP, 10.3 SO/9, and 2.89 ERA (not to mention his 5.43 SO/W ratio) and it’s easy to see that this is clearly an elite pitcher.
Even coming through the Blue Jays’ and then the Mets’ farm systems, every single fan, scout, or front-office big-cheese who had the privilege of watching this young man complete the simple task of throwing baseballs came away impressed.
All this talk about Noah Syndergaard competing for the NL CYA is very nice and I’m sure is found to be extremely flattering to the shirtless, man-bunned, brain-melting fireballer too. But his focus, as well as all of ours, should only be in one place for the time being; winning on March 29 against the St. Louis Cardinals.
