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 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.