The past couple of months have been an adventure for Noah Syndergaard. It started in January, with Triple-A Las Vegas manager Wally Backman saying that Steven Matz is the “best pitching prospect” that the Mets have to offer, according to Bill Price of the New York Daily News. Backman would go on to say that Syndergaard has the stuff that could win a Cy Young award, however there are improvements that need to be made. These statements came as a shock, as we have heard from a countless number of websites that Syndergaard is the best prospect in the Mets system, and one of the best prospects in the game. Then we heard about Syndergaard eating lunch when there was a game going on, as David Wright and Bobby Parnell reprimanded him for his absence during the game. Recently, he was caught in a heated Twitter battle with fans tweeting that he is soft because Snydergaard was scratched from a start with an illness. This prompted Syndergaard to go after these fans in order to defend himself. Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson referred to Twitter as a “trap” instead of promoting positive communication between fans and players according to Mike Puma, as we saw with this particular instance. These off the field instances could have set the stage for a tumultuous season for Syndergaard, however that is not the case.
Although it has only been one month, and a very small sample size, Syndergaard is hitting his stride in Las Vegas. As of now, Syndergaard is 2-0 with a 1.66 ERA, 26 strikeouts, and 8 walks in 21.2 innings. His past two starts have symbolized what the Mets organization wants in their young pitcher, as he has pitched seven innings of shutout baseball. He struck out nine batters in his third start, and in his last start he struck out 10 hitters. The two walks in his past 14 innings also show how dominant he can be if he locates his pitches. This is the kind of stuff that has been expected of the 22-year-old pitcher.
The rotation for the Mets has been fairly strong this far, as Dillon Gee has the highest ERA among starters with a 4.26 ERA. Even this ERA is considered quality, so it is difficult to picture an opening in the rotation for Syndergaard to fill. However the Mets have been using spot starters to give the starting staff an extra day’s rest, while stretching out Matt Harvey’s innings, in order for him to be healthy when the playoffs come around. If Syndergaard can continue to be this dominant in Vegas, it will put the Mets in quite a pickle, as he will not be contributing to the major league team if he sticks around in Vegas.
We have seen other prospects, such as Dilson Herrera, Steven Matz and Matt Reynolds experience tremendous success at Triple-A, but wait to be promoted because of the talent that is ahead of them. Herrera now will get the chance to play second base since the injury to David Wright enables the Mets to move Daniel Murphy to third base. Kevin Plawecki has also gotten onto the roster because of an injury to Travis d’Arnaud. While it may be frustrating for these prospects, they are going to be utilized if someone gets injured. If an injury or trade happens at some point in the season, the Mets will most likely give Rafael Montero a chance, however Syndergaard has shown that he will be worthy of a promotion if he can keep his pitching performances consistent throughout the season. Even if the Mets called him up in August or September, they could use his arm out of the bullpen if the team makes the playoffs. It seems likely that this is the season where we will see Syndergaard being called up, and succeeding at the big league level.
While he has been impressive so far in AAA this year, there’s no guarantee he will enjoy equal success in the Majors should he be called up.
On the contrary, he seems to struggle with his exposure and that would only be intensified in New York. This is a point you touched on briefly with David Wright reprimanding him.
He needs to work on his ego as much as his secondary pitches if he really wants to impact the roster.
Do you happen to remember a pitcher that finally got the call up from triple A a few years ago, who didn’t really have all that impressive stats, mostly because he was playing in that horrible desert air, w/ the terrible fields, & quite frankly was bored as hell! He had reached the highest level of competition, & just wanted to get to the major leagues already! The Mets finally gave in, & the rest, as they say, is history! I am sure you know by now that guy’s name was Matt Harvey! Syndergaard admittedly had to work on stuff as well as get more mentally ready last year, but he is starting to prove w/ each start that he has achieved as much as he is going to achieve at this point in triple A & needs to be up w/ the team! Same thing w/ Matz! I wasn’t a big fan of bringing them up & putting them in the pen, like the Cardinals like to do, IF they don’t have room in the rotation, but outside of Familia, & to a lesser extent Carlyle & Carlos Torres, I have zero faith in any bullpen guys right now! We need to add power arms, & since Black & Parnell are still ways a way, why not bring Matz & Syndergaard up to give the pen tons of power arms late in the game!
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That’s what I was thinking Tommy. Maybe let Matz and Syndergaard start in the minors throughout the season, as they may be used as starters later on. However if August and September come around and the Mets are in contention, I think we will see them coming out of the pen. We are seeing the most urgency from this front office, as they seem to be dedicated to winning.
I think, even with Gee’s recent success, Noah S gets a call up earlier than August-September.
He is also a kid who will need some guidance.
I think putting Gee into long relief is an option. In fact, I’d love to see Matz and Syndergaard both called up sooner than later, and give Matt Reynolds a shot at SS. Wilmer is not a MLB shortstop and Reuben Tejada is not a hitter. Another recent article addressed his work ethic (Reyes quote).
I think change is in the air. The streak caught media attention and we have now lost 7 of 10. Media pressure is increasing and Alderson knows he has an A+ rotation. He has to back them with defense and, perhaps, some bats.
Syndergaard coming up from AAA in 2015 was never in question.