Las Vegas 51s starting pitcher Jacob deGrom is the focus of this week’s Farm Report, put together by Adam Rubin of ESPN New York. The 25-year-old right-handed pitcher was selected by the Mets in the ninth round of the 2010 MLB draft, out of Stetson University. While he flashed some of his ability on the mound at Stetson, he didn’t start pitching until the coaching staff approached him about making a position switch to the mound in his junior year. He first was the team’s closer, then soon switched to become part of their starting staff.

Following Tommy John surgery and missing the 2011 season, deGrom bounced back to have a solid year splitting time with Savannah and St. Lucie. In 15 starts (89.2 innings pitched), the righty went 6-3 with a 2.51 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 78 strikeouts in the South Atlantic League. That performance earned him a late-season promotion to St. Lucie, where he continued pitching well in four starts, spanning 21.2 innings. He went 3-0 with a 2.08 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and 18 more strikeouts.

In talking to Rubin, deGrom mentioned he thought his solid 2012 campaign would lead him to starting 2013 at the next level instead of staying in the Florida State League:

I pitched well in St. Lucie when I went there at the end of last year. I kind of thought that maybe I would start in Double-A, but things didn’t work out that way. I guess when I started in St. Lucie I thought I would end in Double-A.

Instead of ending in Double-A, he’ll likely be ending the season in Triple-A with the 51s. This is happening because rotation spots opened due to numerous pitchers getting injured or promoted to the next level, and his performance has allowed him to stay right where he is. He went 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in two starts for St. Lucie before injuries to Luis Mateo and Cory Mazzoni prompted the Mets to send deGrom to Double-A Binghamton. He had some good and bad stretches in the Eastern League, compiling a 2-5 record, 4.80 ERA, and 1.48 WHIP in 60 innings pitched.

deGrom was in the middle of a good stretch when the Mets sent him to Triple-A to help fill an empty rotation following promotions to Carlos Torres and Zack Wheeler, while Collin McHugh ended up getting traded to the Colorado Rockies. New York originally thought the move to Triple-A would be temporary, but through 29.2 innings pitched (five starts), he’s impressed with a 2-1 record, 3.03 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, with 24 strikeouts. He got hit hard on July 4th against Tucson (six earned runs, eight hits in five innings pitched), but that’s the only time in his five starts he’s allowed more than two earned runs in an appearance.

With regard to where he thinks he can improve going forward, deGrom provides some insight about his off-speed pitches:

My secondary stuff still can improve, so I feel like there’s still learning to be done there. I feel like I still have a lot to learn. I’m kind of new to the pitching. I’ve been doing it for about two years now. I feel like there’s still a lot to learn.

I believe this is the definition of “baptism under fire.” It’s amazing to think deGrom has really only been pitching for a couple years, and he’s already moved through the pipeline as quickly as he has. Hopefully he can continue to get a handle of his secondary pitches and finish 2013 strong. Each start is another learning experience for the 25-year-old, and he keeps taking in all this information, getting better the next time he takes the mound. That’s evident, as he’s now the 17th ranked prospect in our most recent MMN Top-25 rankings.