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New York Mets: Jacob deGrom Still Looking To Round Into Form

By Kenneth Teape

May 15, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom (48) delivers a pitch in the second inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
May 15, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom (48) delivers a pitch in the second inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /
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New York Mets’ starting pitcher Jacob deGrom has had a good start to the season, but it falls short of his own standards as he says he still looking to find his form from 2015.

The New York Mets have been in a position to win every time that Jacob deGrom has taken the mound this season. He has done his job every time he has taken the mound, but he still feels like he could be doing more, as he looks to still find his form from last season.

Following the Mets’ loss to the Colorado Rockies on Sunday, in which deGrom received a no decision, he said, “I’m still not feeling very comfortable on the mound. My front side is still not getting up where I want it to. But I kept us in that ballgame. That was my main goal. They say this is a pretty tough place to pitch, but overall I felt decent.”

Saying Coors Field is a pretty tough place to pitch is probably an understatement, as it usually sends ERA’s sky rocketing. But, deGrom was able to navigate his way through an afternoon he did not have his best stuff. He lasted 6 1/3 innings, allowing four hits and three walks with three strikeouts. Despite the uneven outing, deGrom still left the game with the lead.

But, that lead did not last, as Jim Henderson allowed the inherited runner to score on a two-run home run by Ryan Raburn. That proved to be the deciding factor in the 4-3 Rockies victory, sending deGrom to his second consecutive no-decision.

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deGrom’s strikeouts have been way down this season, and that continued against the Rockies. He had only three, giving him 23 in 36 innings pitched. A part of that has been diminished velocity, which deGrom also spoke about.

“When I go out there, I go out there with what I’ve got,” deGrom said. “During the game, you can’t think about it too much. You take what you’ve got out there and do what you can with it. That’s kind of what I did today. My secondary pitches weren’t great. They were hitting some balls hard right at people. I got fortunate there.”

deGrom is throwing 2-3 miles per hour slower than he did last season, which makes his room for error smaller as he cannot just blow people away currently. deGrom still has solid stats, with a 2.50 ERA and 1.19 WHIP, but there is still some work to be done, and he knows it.

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“My numbers are all right, and I’m putting the team in position to win when I go out there. I’m happy with that. That’s the goal — to put us in a position to win. I’m going out there doing my best to keep us in every ballgame.”

One of the telling stats about deGrom not yet rounding into shape is his pitching numbers. deGrom is averaging only 91.3 pitches and six innings per game, which shows that he does not have the stamina yet to produce late in games.

Whether it be because of the shortened Spring Training, as the Mets monitored his work load after going to the World Series last season, or the off field issues with his son caught up to him, deGrom is not yet on top of his game.

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Despite that, he is keeping the Mets in games, so when he finally does round into form you can expect him to look like he did last season when some people had him as a Cy Young candidate at points in the season.

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