New York Mets: Another Cy Young for Jacob deGrom?

A year after his magical 2018 season, New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom is in prime position for significant consideration for another NL Cy Young award.

The entirety of 2019 has been a different season for the New York Mets, the singular constant being their splendid ace Jacob deGrom.

Amidst a crowded field of stellar arms, deGrom’s signature composure and distinct pitches might allow him to float to the top of the polls. Nearly every other option of the candidates have a certain flaw or issue that stands out.

A somewhat rocky start to 2019 easily settled to a calm in 2019, as the Mets ace was able to adjust to the new baseball. It is clear that there has been a significant adjustment to the baseball- the juiced ball- and thus it requires each pitcher to have a period of adjustment.

deGrom’s main approach, throughout his career, has been to attack opposing batters with his blazing fastball. He began his career pinpointing the low outside corner to lefties and low inside to righties. Eventually, he made an adjustment and began to pound high fastballs in order to counter the unruly upper-cut swings that became commonplace in the league.

These are three potential reasons why Jacob deGrom could win the NL Cy Young award in 2019.

The Field

The main competition consists of Mike Soroka, Stephen Strasburg, Max Scherzer, and Hyun-Jin Ryu. This group of pitchers has had a fantastic season, on the whole, yet an argument could be made against each and every one of them.

Ryu has had the most success in terms of preventing runs- the main evidence being his league-leading 2.35 ERA. However, this ERA has significantly risen from where it once stood and he has posted only 168 innings, compared to the over 190 of Jacob deGrom. It may seem negligible at the moment, however, these are the small details that make a difference.

Scherzer has posted even fewer innings- his post-All-Star break season has been derailed by a neck injury. Since his return, he has not come close to regaining his form. A once stellar 2.30 ERA has swelled all the way up to 2.81 in the seven starts since he returned. His FIP is impressive and outstrips that of deGrom, yet with the innings total and his struggles since his return in mind, deGrom should step ahead of the annual Cy Young nominee.

Soroka has maintained his composure throughout the entirety of 2019 and held a consistency relatively comparable to deGrom’s. However, his innings totals do not approach Jake’s and his strikeout totals are paltry in comparison. Although completely unfair, that is exactly how he will be looked upon.

Finally, Strasburg has shown many signs of dominance in 2019, although he surrendered many more runs than any of the others in consideration. He is not simply the only player on this list to have an ERA above 3.00, his ERA nearly touches 3.50. This season should not be dismissed, yet he likely is a distant fifth.

In a year where rampant injuries did not bog down this race, a different result would more than likely ensue. However, the injuries are a factor and the fact remains that New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom will have comparable numbers in significantly more innings.

The Experience

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The final reason Jacob deGrom is likely on pace to win the NL Cy Young once again is that he has recently done so. When deGrom comes to mind a voter’s mind will be triggered to recall the historic excellence of 2018.

This is not to suggest that voters will become blinded to this season’s events due to a simple glimpse of deGrom’s name. When all of the stats are this close and becomes a tough call, a reminder of his utter dominance just a year prior may cause some to lean in his favor.

After a slightly unsteady start to 2019, this iteration of deGrom has nearly mirrored that of the year prior. This might very well evoke the same sensation voters that it did last season. Because these two brilliant seasons have run concurrently, they are more likely to be associated with one another.

In this tweet, Anthony DiComo makes the exact association that many writers will certainly make. He is nearly the top of some of the most significant categories, plus he has not suffered from an injury.

Therefore when the stats and video of New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom’s 2019 season look exceedingly similar to 2019, one might tend to believe he deserves the award once again.

All in all, the New York Mets ace might very well be in line to once again be an award winner.