Despite the weird circumstances surrounding the 2020 MLB season, New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom is still dreaming about winning his third Cy Young award in a row. He will only 60 games to make the strongest impression, as opposed to the usual 162 that the calendar offers year in, year out.
In the history of the game, only 11 hurlers went on to win consecutive Cy Young awards, and two of them, Hall of Famers Greg Maddux and Randy Johnson, did it three times in a row. In fact, they both won four straight.
“I don’t think it would feel the same,†deGrom said to MLB.com, “but it’s definitely still a goal.†The objective is a little trickier than usual: earned run average, or ERA, may get pretty messed up with a rough outing, so the Mets’ ace needs to avoid those in order to have a chance. He has been brilliant for 10-12 starts in a row in the past, so if anybody has a chance to win the hardware at the end of the season, it’s him.
The Mets ace will have competition
However, since it is easier, in theory, to be dominant for two months than for six, it would mean that a deeper pool of players would make a run at the award that the New York Mets’ fans want deGrom to win so much.
DeGrom had, for example, three consecutive losses in April 2019, which would have complicated his chances of winning in a short season.
“Hopefully, I got those two or three bad starts out in the bullpen sessions at home,†deGrom said. “Hopefully, [I’ll] get off to a good start and keep it rolling and eliminate the bad ones.â€
The Mets’ best homegrown starter in years, deGrom threw to his father regularly at home in DeLand, Florida, to stay sharp with the 2020 season in mind. He also incorporated bullpen sessions here and there, throwing to catcher Patrick Mazeika at Stetson University.
He reported to Mets camp in great shape, and plans to be stretched out to 85 pitches in a week’s time.