The accolades for deGrom have been quite a few. He was the National League’s Rookie of the Year in 2014, gained the league’s Cy Young Award in 2018 and 2019, was an All-Star 4 occasions, led the league in strikeouts twice and, in 2021, was difficult for essentially the most dominant season of the built-in period (1947 to current), with a 1.08 E.R.A. in 15 begins, when arm accidents compelled him to be shut down.
But is that sufficient to say he was higher than Dwight Gooden? Or extra necessary to the crew than Jerry Koosman?
The query, in fact, is completely subjective. But breaking down the place Mets starters fall in varied classes is a enjoyable option to contemplate worth for a crew that has seen prime pitchers in the beginning of their careers (Nolan Ryan, David Cone, Zack Wheeler), and on the finish (Pedro Martinez, Tom Glavine, Johan Santana), however has had only a few stick round lengthy sufficient to have the lasting picture of them be in the Mets’ blue and orange uniforms.
Best Single Season
Tom Seaver’s efficiency in 1969 would make a fantastic choose for one of the best single season in membership historical past. He went 25-7, had a 2.21 E.R.A., was an All-Star, gained the Cy Young Award, completed second in voting for the N.L.’s Most Valuable Player Award and led the crew to a World Series title.
Statistically, nonetheless, you can make an argument that it wasn’t Seaver’s greatest yr, not to mention one of the best one by a Mets starter.
Seaver’s 7.2 wins above substitute in 1969 are tied with deGrom’s 2019 WAR for the seventh-best in crew historical past, in line with Baseball Reference’s method. Seaver was extra dominant, when factoring in league, ballpark and teammates, in 1975 (7.8), 1971 (10.2) and 1973 (10.6), his greatest yr.
DeGrom’s greatest season by WAR got here in 2018, when he had 9.5 (and a 1.70 E.R.A.), and the crew’s prime 10 record additionally consists of Jon Matlack in 1974 (9.1), Santana in 2008 (7.1) and Martinez in 2005 (7.0).
But all of these terrific performances path Gooden’s outrageous 1985 season. Only 20 on the time, Gooden went 24-4 with a 1.53 E.R.A. He led the league in innings and strikeouts, was unanimously named the N.L.’s Cy Young winner and had an eye-popping 12.2 WAR, which is the very best mark of the built-in period and is the fourth greatest by a pitcher since 1901, trailing solely Walter Johnson (twice) and Cy Young.
Best Game
DeGrom’s most dominant efficiency got here on April 23, 2021, when he threw a two-hit shutout with 15 strikeouts towards the Washington Nationals. Using the statistic recreation rating, which rewards innings and strikeouts whereas taking factors away for hits, runs, house runs and walks, he recorded a career-best mark of 98, which is the fourth highest in Mets historical past.
The crew’s third-best recreation rating went to Cone, who acquired a 99 for a three-hit shutout of the Philadelphia Phillies on Oct. 6, 1991, in which he struck out 19 batters.
Second-best went to Seaver, who had a 106 towards the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 1, 1974, for a efficiency in which he allowed one run, three hits and two walks in 12 innings however acquired a no-decision when the Mets misplaced in 14 innings.
The prime mark, shockingly, belongs to Rob Gardner, a considerably forgettable left-hander who was making the fifth look of his profession on Oct. 2, 1965, when he threw 15 shutout innings towards the Phillies. In the wild efficiency, Gardner allowed 5 hits and two walks whereas hanging out seven. Thanks largely to the excessive variety of innings, Gardner acquired a recreation rating of 112 — tied for the fifth-best mark of the built-in period — but it surely wasn’t sufficient to get a win: The recreation, in which Philadelphia’s Chris Short additionally threw 15 scoreless innings, was known as a 0-0 tie after 18 innings due to a Saturday night time curfew in the second recreation of a doubleheader.
When Gardner was interviewed concerning the recreation by Hannah Keyser for Yahoo in 2020, he was notably humble.
“I have to point this out, the guy that pitched against me pitched equally if not better than I did,” Gardner mentioned. “He just didn’t live long enough to be interviewed about it.”
(Santana threw the franchise’s solely solo no-hitter on June 1, 2012, however with eight strikeouts and 5 walks, he had a recreation rating of 90, which is tied for the forty ninth greatest begin in franchise historical past.)
Best Career
Seaver, to nobody’s shock, has essentially the most WAR in franchise historical past with 76. He additionally leads the crew in wins, innings, strikeouts, shutouts and quite a few different classes. Only three different pitchers acquired even half as many WAR for the Mets as Seaver.
In fourth place on the crew’s profession record is Koosman, who had 39.4 WAR over 12 seasons, going 140-137 with a 3.09 E.R.A. and 1,799 strikeouts. He was a key member of the 1969 title crew and his No. 36 jersey was retired by the Mets in 2021.
In third place is deGrom, who had 41.1 over 9 seasons. An absence of run help gave him a file of 82-57, however his 2.52 E.R.A. is the third greatest profession mark of the enlargement period. He began one recreation for the crew in the World Series, in his second season, and by no means acquired an opportunity to make up for a mediocre outing in a Game 2 loss to the Kansas City Royals.
In second place, narrowly holding off a problem from deGrom, is Gooden. A primary-round choose by the crew in 1982, he pitched 11 seasons for the Mets, going 157-85 with a 3.10 E.R.A. and 1,875 strikeouts. He by no means fairly lived as much as the promise of his first three seasons, however he gained a World Series, a Rookie of the Year Award and a Cy Young Award, and his 41.6 WAR will proceed to path solely Seaver now that deGrom has left the crew.
Gooden needs to be protected in that spot for some time. The franchise’s WAR chief amongst pitchers at the moment beneath contract is Max Scherzer, who had 5.2 in his first yr with the crew.
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