Jacob DeGrom: I heard a few times that deGrom came out of “No Where” but that isn’t entirely true. He was the Met’s 2010 9th round pick (hardly a top slot, but hardly the dregs) and the reason we forgot about him was that he was injured. He rebounded from Tommy John surgery with a strong 2012 as he blew through Savannah and had a pretty ideal 4 game audition in Port St. Lucie. He might be billed to return to the FSL or be promoted to AA based on his Spring.
Scouting: At 6’4” and only 185 Lbs there is muscle that deGrom could add to his frame but at 24 (25 in June) he’s about what he’ll become at this stage in his development (physically).
Fastball: Nothing astronomical but he hits 95-96 MPH on some of his pitches which is above the MLB average by a small tick. He uses both a 4 seamer and a 2 seamer with sink.
Secondary Pitches: He is armed with a slider and a changeup but has problems locating them from time to time. He’s primarily noted for his fastball.
ETA: 2013 should see him eventually finish in AA. I wonder if he has a future as a starter if he cannot locate his secondary pitches. Ordinarily there is time to correct that sort of thing but as he’ll be 25 by the middle of the season I’d suggest that the bullpen isn’t too farfetched. As with Matz, he has the number of pitches to make it as a starter but it’s the development of those secondary offerings that will dictate his future.
Mets Top 20 Prospects:1.
- Jacob deGrom, RHP (AA) [2014 Bullpen]
- Steven Matz, LHP (Full Season A) [2016 Bullpen]
I’m glad JDG made your list. I think he tends to get overlooked.
He has talent but he’s got little room to stumble
He’s really shot up the different Mets prospect lists this year. Looking forward to seeing how he performs this season.
He’s got “Stuff” but he’s already lost a year. A good mix of potential and risk for a 19th overall rating.