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Fansided

New York Mets: Another Cy Young for Jacob deGrom?

By Joseph Romano

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 10: Jacob deGrom #48 of the New York Mets in the dugout before the game against the Minnesota Twins at Citi Field on April 10, 2019 in New York City, New York. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 10: Jacob deGrom #48 of the New York Mets in the dugout before the game against the Minnesota Twins at Citi Field on April 10, 2019 in New York City, New York. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
(Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

The Slider

New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom’s slider in 2019 has been nothing short of a revelation. His fastball has an intense spin rate on it, which makes it have the appearance as if it was rising- it can actually rise because that would defy physics. 2019 is a trademark year for the 2018 Cy Young winner because of his slider and change-up.

He adjusted to some early struggles by tempering his normally exorbitant fastball usage, opting for the slider to become it’s equal. deGrom still attacks a batter with his fastball, yet he often finds it more effective to mix in a few more sliders. It is not simply a strikeout pitch. When the two are used in tandem either one can serve as the finishing blow.

The change-up usage has been escalated over the past two seasons- along with slider- while the sinker has been virtually eliminated and the curveball is a rare sighting. The fact is he one again adjusted to the trends of the league.

Once the upsurge in uppercut swings occurred he adapted to a high fastball. Now that the ball is enhanced, as it flies out of the stadium with regularity, deGrom decided to begin to spin the ball more. this trend began with the Houston Astros, who have unmistakable capacity to turn pitchers into aces.

Not to demean the talent of Charlie Morton or Gerrit Cole, Houston has been able to identify their best traits and harness them. No rotation has been more successful in the past three years, so why not follow their lead?

The importance of this slider is that it has carried deGrom when he struggled in 2019, allowing him to rise above the juiced balls and ceaseless home runs of a hectic season.

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