Hang on baseball world, The Dark Knight of Gotham is about to get his Robin. With Matt Harvey making his return to the MLB after missing the 2014 season after undergoing Tommy John Surgery, the New York Mets has taken baseball by storm – currently sitting at the top of the NL East with an 18-10 record.
Only the St. Louis Cardinals have more wins in the National League than the Mets (and Los Angeles Dodgers).
But with Dillon Gee heading to the disabled list, the Mets needed an arm to step up and take a spot in the rotation. Enter Noah Syndergaard, the prize prospect snatched away from the Toronto Blue Jays in the R.A. Dickey trade.
Recalled on Friday by the Mets, Syndergaard had made five starts with Triple-A Las Vegas and posted the kind of numbers who want to see in your prized prospect.
In 29 ⅔ innings, he has posted an 1.82 ERA, only allowing six earned runs, 20 hits and has struck out 34 batters to only eight walks.
A pure strikeout pitcher in the minors, Syndergaard has struck out exactly ten batters per nine innings throughout his young career.
The Mets plan to unleash their young pitcher this upcoming Tuesday, against another up-and-coming team in the Chicago Cubs – led by rookie big bopper Kris Bryant.
Chicago has no shortage of players that will test Syndergaard, also making for some very interesting baseball. While the Cubs are filled with young hitters with a lot of upside, they also have a high tendency to strike out – as they are among the league leaders in punch outs as a team.
After Harvey bursted onto the scene, the Mets have waited for another young power arm would rise to take on the role as sidekick, making this debut maybe even more anticipated than his predecessor – the team’s success may aid in that.
As shown by the Washington Nationals, pitching is power, and the Mets are slowly gathering the arms (not having to overpay to get them either) that will not only keep them legitimate contenders in their division, but maybe the entire National League.
