The kid nicknamed “Thor” sure wielded his mighty hammer Wednesday afternoon, as the Mets swept the Phillies with a 7-0 win at Citi Field. Noah Syndergaard made his fourth Major League start, one that’s sure to be the talk of Mets fans and the local media for days. Syndergaard tossed 7 1/3 scoreless innings of six hit ball, striking out six and walking none. He was efficient, only needing 101 pitches to get through the seven-plus innings of work. Oh, and did I mention that he also went 3-3 at the plate, swatting his first Major League home run in the fourth inning? Yes, young Syndergaard had everything going his way Wednesday.
Fans and scouts knew that Syndergaard was a significant talent throughout his tenure in the minor leagues. After a sub-par 2014 season with Triple-A Las Vegas, Syndergaard began this year 3-0 in five starts, with a 1.82 ERA and holding the opposition to a .182 average. Syndergaard was called up to the majors when Dillon Gee landed on the disabled list on May 8th, and took the hill against the Chicago Cubs for his first Major League start May 12th in Chicago.
Syndergaard was not on his game that night, though surely nerves were kicking in for the 22 year-old rookie. He lasted 5 1/3 innings, giving up three earned runs while walking four. It took him 103 pitches, only 56 of which were strikes, to get through the five-plus frames. Including Wednesday’s start, Syndergaard’s thrown 295 pitches, 200 of them for strikes. That’s more than 3-1 strike to ball ratio, an indication that he’s getting accustomed to major league hitters and strike zones. He’s only given up one walk and one hit by pitch since that May 12th start.
What I love about Syndergaard is his free and easy delivery. When you watch his form, Syndergaard rocks back, stands tall, releases his right hand from his glove, brings the ball back, and explodes towards the mound, all in such a fluid motion. His mechanics are terrific: no herky jerky motions, no rocking back or pulling off to one side; Syndergaard has the kind of pitching mechanics that coaches dream of. His large frame (6’6″, 240 pounds) makes his presence on the mound that much more intimidating to hitters. When you throw 98-99 MPH and have that size advantage, the speed looks even faster to the hitter standing in the box.
While he’s known as a hard throwing right-hander, his secondary pitches are electric, especially his curve. Terry Collins famously described it during spring training in 2014 as “a hook from hell”. With a solid changeup and two-seamer to go along with his four-seam fastball and devastating curve, Mets brass were ecstatic to see Syndergaard mixing his pitches better this time out, which kept the Phillies completely off balance the entire game.
Teammates noticed the rookie’s pitching repertoire, which had veteran left-fielder Michael Cuddyer impressed. “He has 96 to 99 miles an hour, commands the strike zone, can throw the curveball for a strike, throws the changeup for a strike. There’s not many guys in baseball, nonetheless rookies, with stuff like that that’s able to command it,” said Cuddyer.
The Mets are prepared to go with a six man rotation once Gee comes back from the disabled list next week against the San Diego Padres, which they hope results in giving ace Matt Harvey a bit more time in between starts and allows the Mets to control the innings of Jacob deGrom and Syndergaard and not overuse 42-year-old Bartolo Colon. I’m not a fan of a six man rotation, especially since pitchers are creatures of habit and have certain routines they follow on their off days. And you better believe that a bulldog like Harvey does not want to shave 3-4 starts off of his season, especially after sitting on the sidelines for all of 2014.
The Mets are going to need to use some of their assets as trade chips to secure the middle-of-the-order bat they so desperately need, especially with David Wright’s status still up in the air. Let’s not forget that Steven Matz is waiting in the wings for his call up from Triple-A, putting up equally impressive numbers in a hitter’s league with a 6-2 record and a 1.99 ERA and 1.04 WHIP. Yes, it’s always good to have excess pitching, and that’s exactly what the Mets are going to need to use in order to obtain that bat. While Cuddyer, Flores, and Duda have all had good games over the past week, the Mets are still lacking a fearsome hitter in their lineup, e.g. Mike Piazza, Frank Thomas, or Albert Pujols. A batter that pitchers wanted nothing to do with, a singular player that managers must game-plan around. The Mets don’t have that batter yet, though maybe Duda could become that guy. His encouraging numbers against lefty pitching (.383 AVG, 4 HRS, and a .463 OBP), indicate that possibility. Still, if the Mets want to be serious contenders and go toe-to-toe against the Nationals for the NL East crown, who have an early MVP candidate in Bryce Harper, they’re going to need that impact bat.
Syndergaard may end up being the trade piece the Mets need to acquire that bat. Maybe it’s Matz. The Mets are going to have to part with something to get something, but for today, Mets fans get to catch a glimpse of the all-mighty Thor at his best, making the R.A. Dickey trade that much sweeter for Sandy Alderson and the Mets.
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