I had the pleasure of interviewing Mets right-hander Noah Syndergaard after a charity event in Manhattan on Thursday.
Noah was on hand at P.S. 111 to raise awareness of the annual fundraising campaign by Great Clips to help children in public schools. Syndergaard and Great Clips presented the school with a check for $40,000.
Afterward, Syndergaard fielded some questions from me and was very candid about a variety of things including how his season was going, the team’s second half surge, his disdain for seeing his name in trade rumors, and his desire to continue pitching in a Mets uniform. He really loves the team, the fans and the city and you could read all about that here.
Syndergaard also spoke very highly of 82-year-old pitching coach Phil Regan, and I wanted to share some of that exchange with the readers on MMO.
“Phil does a great job of implementing new school methodologies with old school tendencies,” Syndergaard told me.
“He’s really good mechanically, but he’s also embracing the analytics part of the game, like the hop measurement, and the spin rate, and all that.”
Since Regan became the interim pitching coach, there have been significant improvements in Syndergaard’s performance.
| Before and After Regan | ERA | FIP | xFIP | WHIP | K/9 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 30 to June 15 | 4.55 | 3.65 | 4.09 | 1.21 | 8.8 | |
| June 30 to Present | 3.24 | 3.19 | 3.62 | 1.15 | 9.3 |
His numbers have improved across the board, and his strides aren’t merely the result of the Mets’ defense playing better behind him although that’s good to see.
His FIP and xFIP, which takes defense out of the equation, has improved from 3.65 and 4.09, to 3.19 and 3.62.
A key factor for Syndergaard has been that he’s throwing his slider more frequently and effectively.
| Pitch Type Usage | FB% | SL% | CB% | CH% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 30 to June 15 | 59.1% | 10.9% | 11.3% | 18.7% | ||
| June 30 to Present | 58.3% | 19.6% | 7.6% | 14.5% |
He has nearly doubled the use of his slider and the results below speak volumes.
| Pitch Type Value | wFB | wSL | wCB | CH% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 30 to June 15 | -1.3 | -2.0 | 1.3 | 9.5 | ||
| June 30 to Present | 4.4 | 4.3 | 2.8 | -2.0 |
Before Regan, it was his curve ball and changeup that were his best secondary pitches. He threw his slider just 10.9% of the time, and it had a negative -2.0 value. But since Regan started working with Syndergaard, his slider, along with his fastball, have become much improved pitches.
I asked Syndergaard if Regan played some role in his improved mechanics and approach over the last two months and he acknowledged that Regan has helped his slider become a more effective pitch.
“We started working more with that, and that’s what helped my slider out,” Syndergaard said. “It’s not necessarily working with my slider, but trying to get my fastball back to where it was. And just once you get there, it’s all about changing the grip.”
Syndergaard also mentioned that it helps that he worked with Regan as a prospect. When Syndergaard was 20-years-old in 2013, pitching for the Single-A St.Lucie Mets, the experienced Regan coached and mentored Syndergaard.
“What I think we’ve all benefitted from is we’ve had Phil in the minor leagues when we were all coming up,” Syndergaard said.
“So there’s that emotional attachment there. There’s that sense of trust, and just overall baseball knowledge you can’t compete with. 60 plus years, whether it’s the mental side or the physical side of it pitching, he’s really the best.”
Syndergaard now owns a 10-7 record this season with 171 strikeouts in 170 innings. His ERA has dropped from 4.55 to 3.97 since Regan became the pitching coach.
“Phil is unbelievable,” Syndergaard said. “He’s a guru. He’s what? 82 years young, and counting? He’s just been an absolute blessing to work with.”
