New York Mets: Jacob deGrom should be in the running for NL MVP
By Kyle Morello
Jacob deGrom is having a truly spectacular season for the New York Mets. He is arguably in the lead for the NL Cy Young award race, but could he actually garner some NL MVP votes as well?
There is no doubt in my mind that deGrom will win the NL Cy Young award with the season he is having with the New York Mets.
Despite the fact that Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer and Phillies stud Aaron Nola are having amazing campaigns, nobody in the Nl, or even the MLB has pitched better this year than deGrom.
He deserves the award more than any of these guys. I firmly believe he will get it too.
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However, he should also be in the running for NL MVP. Yes, despite the fact that he has an 8-8 record on the year and his team is currently in 4th place in the NL East, he has easily been one of if not the most valuable players in the National League.
According to Baseball Reference, deGrom is leading the entire MLB in ERA (1.68) and HR/9 (0.4).
He’s also leading the NL in ERA+ (park adjusted ERA) at 219 and FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) at 2.08.
He is also top three in the NL in WHIP, K/9, Innings Pitched and Strikeouts, among other things.
Why does this matter? Because his stat line this year compares favorably to years where other pitchers have won MVP.
For example, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw won NL Cy Young and MVP in 2014. That year Kershaw had a worse ERA, ERA+, SO/9, and the same HR/9 as deGrom does this year.
There’s also the case of Justin Verlander, who won AL Cy Young and MVP in 2011 while pitching for the Tigers. That year, Verlander had a worse ERA, ERA+, FIP, SO/9, and HR/9 than deGrom currently has.
The only difference between those two MVP seasons and deGrom’s potential one this season is that Kershaw was 21-3 and Verlander was 24-5.
Despite his historic season, deGrom currently has a less than ideal record. Even though wins mean less than ever for a pitcher, this is still hurting his chances regardless.
With a crowded race of hitters that include Javier Baez, Matt Carpenter and Freddie Freeman votes will be hard to come by.
And while they are all having outstanding seasons, nobody in the NL is having quite the season that Jacob deGrom is having for the Mets.
dark. Next. New York Mets rotation is clicking on all cylinders, finally
He probably won’t be heavily considered for the NL MVP. But, we all know he should be.