New York Mets: Noah Syndergaard dazzles in 2018 debut

New York Mets ace Noah Syndergaard looks as sharp as a tack in his 2018 debut.

It may be early in Spring Training but it is hard not to be encouraged by the performance of New York Mets ace Noah Syndergaard on Monday afternoon. He faced starters in the first two innings of the Mets game against the Houston Astros and he was outstanding. As we saw last season, if “Thor” goes so do the Mets. If Monday was a sign of things to come, the team from Queens is going to be just fine.

All you have to see is the line to know that the day went well. Syndergaard threw just 22 pitches to get through two perfect innings. Not only that, but he also brought the heat at over 100 MPH 11 different times. Here is some MLB footage:

More from Empire Writes Back

• Caesars New York Promo Code: Win $250 Bonus GUARANTEED on ANY Bet!
• Last Chance Caesars Promo: Claim $1,250 Bonus for ANY MLB Bet!
• Caesars New York Promo Code Gives TWO Chances to Win Betting on Your Yankees!
• PointsBet New York Promo: FIVE $100 Bonus Bets to Back the Yankees or Mets!
• Caesars NY Promo: $1,250 Bonus to Celebrate the Return of Judge!

That looks like the mid-season version of Thor. He is bringing some serious gas and the day he pitched was only February 26th. He looked as strong as I can remember him pitching since he came up.

On its face it could be a bit concerning that he is throwing so hard in his first outing. If you look at the recap of the game, Syndergaard mentioned that he didn’t feel like he was putting in a lot of effort. That would tell us he wasn’t overthrowing, and manager Mickey Callaway felt the same way. If he is happy I am happy.

Remember it’s not only the heat that “Thor” can use to take batters down. In Monday’s game he faced Jose Altuve and struck him out looking with a breaking ball that nearly broke Altuve’s knees. Take a look, again from MLB.com:

Talk about freezing a batter in his tracks. Altuve was not getting a piece of that one if he had a wooden tennis racket in his hands. If Syndergaard is going to throw THAT hard and counter it with a changeup that is THAT nasty he is going to be virtually unhittable. It may be early but Noah looks as sharp as ever.

Next: Mad Dog says Tebow is a joke

If Noah Syndergaard goes the Mets go with him. If he excels so do the Mets. This team is built on pitching and defense and Syndergaard is the leader of the pack. It was two innings on February 26th but it was certainly a good start to the 2018 season. Hopefully things will sustain and this staff, led by “Thor”, can finally stay healthy for an entire season.