MLB All-Star Game: Who Should Start for the National League?
By Matt Weyrich
Noah Syndergaard
The youngest pitcher in the group, Noah Syndergaard has taken the league by storm in his second season pitching in the big leagues. Through 17 games (16 starts), the Mets right-hander has posted a sparkling 2.41 ERA with 123 strikeouts to only 15 walks. One of the few pitchers in the game to routinely hit triple digits on the radar gun, Syndergaard has separated himself from the rest of his age group as the premiere young arm in all of baseball.
Featuring a five-pitch repertoire, Syndergaard has an arsenal of options at his disposal for inducing whiffs and weak contact. His sinker, which averages more than 98 mph, induces groundballs 13.2 percent of the time—more than double that of any other pitch. His most devastating weapon, however, is certainly his slider. Hitters swing and miss at the pitch 30.0 percent of the times he throws it.
The biggest Achilles heel in Syndergaard’s game has been holding runners on the base paths. Base runners have been successful stealing in 94 percent of opportunities (15-for-16), clearing the way for running threats such as Jose Altuve and Mike Trout to take a crack at swiping a bag. While two of the Mets’ primary catchers have caught stealing percentages below the league average, AL manager Ned Yost will put him to the test almost immediately.
Prediction: Syndergaard is one of the best pitchers in the game when it comes to keeping players off the base paths. Once they reach base, however, good base runners will have a field day against him. With such a run-heavy AL lineup, Terry Collins may opt to go with…
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