New York Mets: Noah Syndergaard Ranked As A Top Starting Pitcher

New York Mets starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard landed on Buster Olney’s list of the best starting pitchers in the major leagues.

The New York Mets have a plethora of young starting pitching talent. They have arguably the deepest collection of starting pitchers in the majors that they have stockpiled in recent seasons.

Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Zack Wheeler and Steven Matz could be a scary rotation. They have some depth as well in Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman. Unfortunately for the Mets, baseball isn’t played on paper.

Injuries have derailed the Mets plans at a super rotation. The first five players mentioned have yet to be in the starting rotation together because of a rash of injuries. Wheeler has not pitched since 2014, Matz has been on the disabled list every season of his professional career, and Harvey and deGrom are both coming off season-ending surgeries.

Add in those factors, along with performance on the field, and it is hard to debate that Syndergaard is the best of the bunch. He has quickly developed into the front end starter the Mets had hoped he would when they acquired him from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for R.A. Dickey.

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Syndergaard is the unquestioned ace of the staff based on his performance in recent seasons. Not only is he the best starting pitcher the Mets have, he is arguably one of the best starting pitchers in the MLB.

Buster Olney is one person that would fall into that category. The ESPN MLB Insider has begun compiling ranking lists positionally and with team units. The first list that he has compiled is of starting pitchers, and Syndergaard lands squarely on the list.

Syndergaard comes in at No.6 on Olney’s list, with only Clayton Kershaw, Mas Scherzer, Madison Bumgarner, Chris Sale, and Corey Kluber ahead of him. Here is what Olney had to say about Syndergaard.

"In his first start this year, Syndergaard announced his presence with authority, spinning a slider at a stunning 95 mph against the Kansas City Royals. No starting pitcher throws harder — in fact, nobody is even close in average fastball velocity — and despite the fact that Syndergaard struck out 218 batters and walked 43 batters in 2016, he’s still very early in his career, still learning. “Of all the guys on your list,” said one evaluator, “he’s probably got the best stuff.”"

The stuff that Syndergaard brings to the table is rivaled by very few. His slider could enter the conversation as one of those dominant pitches that players are remembered for; Kershaw’s curveball, Mariano Rivera‘s cutter, Nolan Ryan‘s fastball to name a few.

Syndergaard brings the heat and brings it consistently. Only five players average at least 95 MPH on their fastball velocity, and only one player, Yordano Ventura, breaks 96 MPH at 96.1. Then there is Syndergaard, who averaged 98 MPH on his fastball.

That is absolutely filthy and gives him a huge advantage whenever he is on the mound. With that kind of power stuff, hitters will struggle to find success against Syndergaard. He has been in the major leagues for just under two seasons but is already regarded as one of the best starting pitchers in the league.

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The Mets should be ecstatic that they have him in their rotation, as he will be there for the foreseeable future; he is not arbitration eligible until 2018 and won’t hit free agency until 2022. If the Mets can get everyone else back on track and healthy, Syndergaard could lead them back to the postseason for a third straight season.

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