New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom was working on a historic 2021 campaign before he ran into injury trouble.
When he was healthy, the righty was considered a lock to win both the National League MVP and the National League Cy Young.
That’s a very rare feat, but it was right there for the taking for the 33-year-old.
Unfortunately, it looks like his season is over.
There's a "99.9% chance" that Jacob deGrom is out for the rest of the season, per @ragazzoreport pic.twitter.com/QWty1qVKj1
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) August 19, 2021
Injuries robbed him of a chance at an all-time great season, and that’s extremely tough to swallow.
Today, we’re going to appreciate what could have been.
Let’s get started.
What He Accomplished
deGrom made 15 starts this season.
In those starts, he was dominant to an unfathomable degree.
He posted a 1.08 ERA, 1.24 FIP, and 0.55 WHIP.
He fanned 146 batters in 92 innings, giving him a nine-inning strikeout rate of 14.3.
Jacob deGrom struck out 9 consecutive batters, one shy of the major-league record. 🤯
It's the longest strikeout streak of deGrom's career.
🎥: @PitchingNinjapic.twitter.com/fI9P8jG0oD
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) April 17, 2021
He would have led the league in all of those categories if he had pitched enough innings to qualify.
When you look at each of deGrom’s starts individually, his season becomes even more impressive.
As mentioned, he made 15 outings.
Here’s how they broke down:
- In every start, he allowed three runs or fewer.
- In 14 of out 15 starts, he allowed two runs or fewer.
- In 12 out of 15 starts, he allowed one run or fewer.
- In 8 out of 15 starts, he did not allow a run.
At one point, deGrom registered five consecutive scoreless outings.
During that run, he didn’t allow a run for 31 straight innings.
That’s absolutely insane.
This was truly shaping up to be one of the best pitching seasons of all-time before it got derailed by injuries.
Will He Be Equally Dominant In 2022 When He’s Healthy?
You can’t really count anything out with deGrom.
Yes, he’s recovering from an injury, and yes, he’ll be a year older when the 2022 campaign rolls around, but is there a chance that he’ll be just as dominant next season as he was this season?
We’ll see.
It’s borderline impossible to do what he did this season.
To do it a second time would be absolutely insane.
But then again, we’re talking about a guy with an unbelievable track record.
deGrom has a career 2.50 ERA, 2.64 FIP, and 1.01 WHIP.
He has two Cy Young Awards to his name, and there’s no reason to believe he won’t win another before he retires.
Maybe it’s not far-fetched to think that he can pitch like a maniac again in 2022.
The Mets would certainly appreciate it.
Mets’ Playoff Hopes Gone Without deGrom
Now that we have some clarity on deGrom’s timetable (i.e. he’s not coming back this season), we can pretty much close the book on New York’s playoff chances.
There are too many health issues, the deficit is too big, and the remaining schedule is too tough.
It just wasn’t meant to be for the Mets in 2021.
The organization will hope to retool this offseason and return as a contender in 2022.
There is a really solid foundation in place.
deGrom should be back to anchor the starting rotation by the time spring training rolls around, and that’s a really good place to start.
NEXT: Mets Would Be Wise To Shut Down Jacob deGrom For The Season