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Syndergaard Is Better Than Anticipated And Ready to Soar

By Joe D.

November 19, 2013 No comments

Thor - Syndergaard

I swear that over the past two months that Noah Syndergaard is the most talked about pitching prospect in all of baseball. It’s amazing, but everytime I turn around someone somewhere is gushing over the Mets’ prized righthander.

While reading Baseball Prospectus, I came across a recent article in which they pointed out that Thor’s overall numbers in Double-A Binghamton were not only better than what he posted while at Advanced-A St. Lucie, but they were much better than they appeared.

stats

Syndergaard’s strikeout rate reached new heights in his second-half splash of the Eastern League, and his walk rate was lower than at any other stop in his professional career. From the team’s standpoint, the hope is that a pitcher will maintain the integrity of his numbers as he climbs the minor-league ladder; those players who up the ante in the face of stiffer competition are playing in a league of their own.

In the case of Syndergaard, the stats might even be selling his Double-A performance short. His stat line was marred by a catastrophic outing in his final start of the season, which included 11 runs (nine earned) over the course of 3.1 innings, effectively doubling his earned runs allowed at the Double-A level on the season. He entered the game with a 1.60 ERA for Binghamton and left with a three-flat, while his home run rate was inflated by the trio of bombs that he bequeathed to the Bowie Baysox that day.

Last week, Sandy Alderson reassured fans that Syndergaard would not be traded under any circumstances this offseason. “None.”

The plan for Syndergaard will be similar to the tracks taken by Zack Wheeler and Matt Harvey before them and that there was “no chance” that Syndergaard – or Rafael Montero too for that matter – will make the team out of Spring Training.

That said, Alderson expects both of them to be pitching with the big club at some point next season. “I’d be very surprised if that didn’t happen.”

 

Thought from David C.

The more and more I read about Syndergaard aka “Thor” and hear some of his teammates tell me how good he really is, the more I get really excited about what he can become. Can you imagine when Harvey is healthy again, what the rotation will look like.  It will blow away Mets Generation K and probably mimic the Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, John Smoltz dominance. I may be reaching with the latter, but so far with Harvey and Wheeler we have seen what the future can hold, so the next step is witnessing what Syndergaard and maybe even Montero (if not dealt) will add to the mix.  Very exciting couple of years is on its way.

(Photo courtesy of Syndergaard Twitter page)