Noah Syndergaard was scheduled to start on Saturday against the Tigers in Lakeland. But was scratched after he took a ball off his left ankle while playing catch on Thursday.
Sandy Alderson said X-rays taken on Friday showed that Syndergaard was more or less fine, but the Mets decided to option him to minor league camp anyway. Steven Matz got the start in Lakeland in place of him.
Dan Martin of the New York Post caught up with Syndergaard afterward and the tall, young right-hander made no secret of the fact he plans to force his way into the majors.
“I won’t fall under the pressure that happened last year,” Syndergaard said. “Last year, I was pressing the panic button a little bit because I wanted to get to the big leagues as fast as possible. … I’m slated to go to Vegas to continue to work on things to get better and hopefully push Sandy to make that phone call.”
Syndergaard, 22, is expected to make his major league debut this season and he is eager to prove he’s better than what he called an underwhelming and disappointing 2014.
“To be in the big leagues has been my dream ever since I was a little kid. I use last September as a little extra motivation, because I don’t want to hear that phone call again.”
The Mets top prospect was referring to the call he received from GM Sandy Alderson informing him he would not get a September call-up.
Alderson hopes to see Syndergaard follow through on his commitment and push the envelope.
“He just needs to go down and pitch the way he’s capable of pitching,” Alderson said. “And focus on the job at hand, which his job in Las Vegas and not worry about what openings or opportunities may arise in New York. When they do, assuming he’s focused on his own performance in Vegas, he’ll get an opportunity.”
Alderson also stressed that Syndergaard wouldn’t necessarily be the first in line, perhaps a reference to our other top prospect Matz who is impressing Mets brass a lot these days.
The Mets will wait at least 21 days to ensure the extra year of team control before revisiting Syndergaard’s MLB debut. And perhaps even wait until June 1 to ensure he doesn’t become Super 2 eligible, giving him an extra year of arbitration.
I like that Syndergaard has that chip on his shoulder, and I was very impressed with his last Grapefruit League start where he showed an explosive fastball and that killer curve.
The cream always rises to the top and you can bet Syndergaard will soon be making his presence felt in the middle of the Mets rotation this Summer.
