The New York Mets
It is so hard to explain what it’s like to be a Mets fan. The best way I can put it is to imagine you are a little kid and someone just gave you the best gift ever, for me probably some Lego set. You open the gift, you see it, get all excited, and then just as you open the box they snatch it from you and disappear. That is what being a Mets fan is like.
Ever since I can remember I have been rooting for the Mets and while there have been some awesome memories, most of them resemble sadness. Regardless of being the typical pessimistic Mets fan I can’t help but be excited for their rotation coming into 2020.
Jacob deGrom
Jake! He is by far my favorite pitcher in the MLB and he is arguably the best pitcher in the game right now. He finished 2019 with a 2.43 ERA, 2.67 FIP, and 31.7 K% en route to yet another CY Young award. deGrom has the lowest ERA in the last two years combined and it doesn’t look like he will be slowing down. He relies heavily on his four-seam fastball which posted an insane 16.6 pVAL, .219 BAA, and .177 ISO. Jake uses this pitch so well (as you can tell by that pVAL) and it sets up that great slider and changeup of his. His changeup was his main strikeout pitch as it had a 20.8 SwStr% to go along with a 40.7 O-Swing% and 46.6 Zone%. His slider ain’t too shabby either as he really gets hitters to chase it and utilizes it extremely well. From head to toe deGrom is the best and I don’t expect him to slow down anytime soon.
Noah Syndergaard
There probably wasn’t a more frustrating pitcher last year than Noah Syndergaard. His 4.28 ERA comes with a 3.60 FIP, and 4.02 SIERA showing positive regression should be coming. But the main issue is the whole catcher situation. Syndergaard complained often about Wilson Ramos and the Mets need his bat in the lineup so Noah might have to learn to cope. I’m afraid he is too much in his head and maybe the Mets will never unlock his full potential. Noah should be the pitcher we saw in 2016, a pitcher with a high strikeout rate and a sub-three ERA. Yes, he is that good. He is the hardest thrower in the league and he arms his fastball with a lethal changeup, slider, and curveball. All three of his pitches have an SwStr% of 16.0% or higher. The high BABIPs on his pitches show he was unlucky but then again that defense behind him might not help normalize those numbers. He is somewhat of an enigma coming into 2020, but I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if he finished 2020 as a top ten pitcher.
Marcus Stroman
Stroman came over to the Mets via trade with the Blue Jays in 2019. He relies on groundballs and pumping out his slider often. That is what worries me. If Stroman’s slider is off, he is off and the Mets defense isn’t great and is something he relies on. I do have to say that his two-seam fastball should be much better next year and he does seem to be a solid pitcher year in and year out. He is going too late in drafts and I think if you need a high floor ratios type of pitcher he is the one to grab late in drafts. I really think he produces his ATC projection of 175 innings pitches with a 3.80 ERA.
Rick Porcello
Porcello was once a CY Young award winner in 2016 when he posted a 3.15 ERA om 223 innings pitched. That is long forgotten though as he hasn’t posted a sub-four ERA since. As a Mets fan, I am not excited. Four out of the five pitches he throws had a wRC+ of 118 or more, that is brutal. Only his sinker provided a positive pVAL and his strikeout pitch which is his slider only put up an 11.1 SwStr%. Yea I am moving on and not looking his way for my fantasy teams.
Steven Matz
Matz has the talent and the skill to be a good pitcher if he could only stay healthy. Matz’s second half was much better than his first (4.89 ERA vs. 3.52 ERA) and it was mainly due to him using his slider more often. His slider produces a very high 63.2 GB% and hitters have a hard time lifting the pitch. I also think his curveball has some potential as it has a nice break to it and posted a solid .216 BAA. See the Mets need to strengthen that defense behind these pitchers because you have Matz, Stroman, and even Syndergaard who rely on weak contact.
Rotation As A Whole
I feel like a broken record saying this because us Mets fans have been saying it since the Matt Harvey days and that is, if the rotation can stay healthy it can be one of the best in the league. From a fantasy standpoint, I think you can find a use for each one of these pitchers besides Porcello. Plus you have Wacha waiting in the wings who also had a much better second half. But since I am a Mets fan, I am sure they will all get injured and the Mets will go down like the firey pit of dispair they are.
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