With the nickname "Thor", you'd think Noah Syndergaard's pitching would be otherworldly, possibly from Asgard. Syndergaard has the "hook from hell" (according to Mets manager Terry Collins), and can dial up the heat on his fastball. After making his first start of Spring Training, the 21 year-old has put himself in contention for the Mets fifth spot.
With ace Matt Harvey out for the season, the Mets are looking for a five man rotation of young heralded prospects and veterans to anchor a pitching staff that has been inconsistent for, arguably, the past eight years. Task someone with trying to peg the Mets rotation this year, and the easy answer would be Jonathan Niese, Bartolo Colon, Zack Wheeler, and Dillon Gee. Easy answer, but still only four-fifths complete. That's where the pegging becomes more like throwing darts, with a blindfold.
The Mets have brought in low-cost talent in John Lannan and Daisuke Matsuzaka. Both pitchers were formerly aces for the Washington Nationals and Boston Red Sox respectively, but both have seen their career numbers start to decline. Matsuzaka hasn't posted double digits wins or posted an ERA under 4.42 since 2008. Lannan hasn't made more than twenty starts since 2011, and is trying to regain form from a season-ending knee surgery last season.
Syndergaard has only pitched two innings this spring, but he's getting attention. If the Mets want a low-cost, effective pitcher to fill the fifth spot, why not Syndergaard? After all, how many guys sit down Jason Heyward and the Upton brothers in their first time facing them. If the Mets want to win now, this is a risk worth taking. If not, it's understandable, given the way Sandy Alderson has been conservative his entire tenure with the Mets. Regardless, Syndergaard has definitely begun a case to start for the Mets come April.
While Syndergaard is still young, he just might be the guy to round out the rotation with. "Thor" might just be able to remove the blindfold, right before you hit the bulls-eye.
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