Jul 9, 2019; Cleveland, OH, USA; National League pitcher Jacob deGrom (48) of the New York Mets throws against the American League during the third inning in the 2019 MLB All Star Game at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
New York Mets ace and back to back Cy Young winner, Jacob deGrom, was always a good pitcher, but over the last two seasons he has taken his game to an elite level. Not everything was sunshine and rainbows for him, during the 2017 seasons there were trying times for deGrom.
In 2017, deGrom’s ERA was inflated to 4.75 after his June 6th start against the Texas Rangers. He was tagged for eight runs and looked like a defeated man in the dugout. As he was sitting there alone, Terry Collins came over to counsel his struggling ace as he looked frustrated. This played a role in deGrom’s turnaround.
After that game, deGrom started to become the top pitcher he has been for the last two and a half seasons. He put up a couple seasons prior with his ERA ranging from 3-3.5. Those days would end when he took the mound for his following start. For the rest of the 2017 season deGrom had a 2.85 ERA and limited hitters to a .223 batting average.
The next two seasons were even stronger which earned him his two consecutive Cy Young awards. Since June 7, 2017 deGrom has a 2.24 ERA and has been the best pitcher in baseball over that time period. He got to a point that not many pitchers reach and made it look extremely easy at times.
deGrom has the “killer mentality” and all he worries about is delivering the perfect pitch. It is the only thing he controls and wants nothing short of perfection. His commitment to excellence is second to none and the Mets are very lucky to lock him up for the prime of his career.
The only thing left to put deGrom’s career on par with Tom Seaver’s is to win the coveted World Series Championship.
This post was published on 2019-11-14 11:53
