Jacob deGrom has officially joined an exclusive club
consisting of some of the game’s greatest pitchers. deGrom was named National
League Cy Young by the Baseball Writers Association of America, running away
with the award with 29 first place votes.
deGrom becomes the fourth Mets pitcher to win the award,
joining Tom Seaver, Dwight Gooden and R.A. Dickey. Seaver in fact won the award
three times in a Mets uniform (1969, 1973, and 1975).
Washington Nationals starter Max Scherzer came in second
with one first place vote and 29-second place votes. Phillies starter Aaron
Nola finished third and Rockies starter Kyle Freeland finished fourth in the
voting.
The 30-year old deGrom had one of the best seasons by a Mets
starting pitcher ever, posting a 1.70 ERA and a WHIP of 0.91, all while posting
a win-lose record of 10-9. He was second in the National League in innings with
217 and strikeouts, 269. His
string of 29 consecutive starts allowing three earned runs or less, a streak
that began in mid-April and is still active, is the longest in MLB history.
What made deGrom’s 2018 season so special was the fact he
was able to pitch so effectively while pitching on a losing baseball team that
couldn’t score whenever he pitched. In fact, he received the worst run support
in all of baseball at 3.5 runs per game.
There was even a point this season from May 2 through June
30 where the Mets were 2-9 in starts deGrom made, and the righty kept on
dealing. In May he pitched to a 0.69 ERA, allowing only two runs for the entire
month. In June, his ERA was 2.36, but that hides the fact that he left each of
those starts with a chance to win the game.
"I
want to thank the baseball writers for this honor," deGrom said. "I'm
extremely humbled to win this award along with some other great former Mets
such as Tom Seaver, Dwight Gooden and R.A. Dickey. I'd especially like to thank
my teammates, coaching staff and my family."
deGrom capped off his Cy Young campaign by winning his final
two starts of the season against Washington and Atlanta. One could argue he
saved his best for last when he blanked the playoff bound Braves over eight
innings, allowing only two hits and striking out 10 on 110 pitches. That
victory, if he hadn’t already done so, sealed the deal on his first Cy Young award.
deGrom has had an amazing journey to the pinnacle of the
sport for a pitcher. He was selected with 272nd pick in the 2010
draft, making his Major League debut in 2014. Ironically when the Mets called
him up, he wasn’t even considered the best of the Mets plethora of young
starting pitchers. Matt Harvey and Noah Syndergaard were considered the “aces”
of the Mets rotation.
Heck by the time deGrom came up he was already overshadowed
by Harvey who was coming off an All-Star season in 2013. When Syndergaard and
100 mph heater came up in 2015, it was Thor who received all the media
attention. deGrom? Well, he remained the steadiest presence of the Mets
rotation.
To Mets fans, they knew who the king of the rotation was. It
was deGrom. It was always deGrom. During the Mets NL Championship season of
2015, deGrom led the Mets in strikeouts (205), ERA (2.54) and wins (14). He was
also the Mets most reliable starter with a 3-1 win-lose record and an ERA of
2.88.
The question will be deGrom’s future with the franchise.
When Brodie Van Wagenen represented him, the future Mets General Manager told
the Mets to give him a proper contract extension or trade him. Now with Van Wagenen
in charge of the Mets front office, it will be interesting to see whether he
can get the Wilpons to offer a mega deal to deGrom who will be 31 next
year. deGrom has two more years on his
deal.
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