MLB New York Mets

Top Prospect Noah Syndergaard Primed For Big Year With New York Mets

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By @mturnerny

Noah Syndergaard New York Mets

Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

This is the year New York Mets top prospect Noah Syndergaard reaches the majors. I’m not just saying that because it might happen either way, but because he will make it happen.

Last summer, the Mets had every intent to bring Syndergaard to the major league level after the Super-Two deadline passed, but decided to keep him in Triple-A Las Vegas due to his poor performance. Over the course of the season, Syndergaard posted a 4.60 ERA, 1.481 WHIP, 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings, and 10.4 hits per nine innings.

All of those are career-worst numbers, with the exception of the strikeouts per nine, which was Syndergaard’s second-worst mark of his career, only surpassed by his first year in the minors. Despite being the Mets’ no.1-rated prospect, he didn’t earn the right to a call-up. Instead, the Mets promoted Jacob deGrom and Rafael Montero, and the former went on to win NL Rookie of the Year.

This year, however, the Mets already have six proven starters on their roster. Much of the attention this offseason is who they can unload and for what, giving the other five some room to work with once spring gets here. Syndergaard has fallen silently into the background of their pitching conversation.

In a recent conversation with ESPN New York, Syndergaard said he didn’t feel he was ready last season and that he’s gunning for a position in the rotation this year. For now, the Mets’ overcrowded rotation could prove beneficial to Syndergaard. For one, he realizes he won’t be a shoo-in, meaning he’s going to have to prove to the Mets they ­need to promote him. A little less spotlight in the minors could also do him some good.

Now that Syndergaard has the experience of not being good enough and being overlooked, he will do all that’s in his power to prove to his coaches and to the Mets that he’s finally ready to pitch in the major leagues. New York will almost surely give him through June to prove he’s ready before calling him up, even in the event of an injury to a starter.

But like I said, it won’t be the injury or any other external factor that will make the Mets bring him to Queens – it will be Syndergaard’s body of work.

Matt Turner is a New York Mets Writer for www.RantSports.com. “Like” him on Facebook, follow him on Twitter @MTurnerNY, or add him to your network on LinkedIn or Google.

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