New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom is the best pitcher in baseball.
He won the Cy Young award in the National League in both 2018 and 2019, and there is a strong case to be made that he deserved it last year, too.
This year, he has a 0.95 ERA in 85 innings, striking out a whopping 14.40 hitters per nine innings and showing his skill in other run-prevention metrics, such as Fielding Independent Pitching, or FIP (0.99).
He has been the best pitcher in baseball so far and has a case to be considered as the best player, too.
Does he have a case for the MVP award?
The answer is yes, and here is why.
He Has The WAR Edge
WAR, or Wins Above Replacement, certainly isn’t everything, but it’s a fantastic way to know how much a certain player has contributed to his team.
Even though he has missed a couple of starts with various aches and pains, deGrom currently leads the major leagues in WAR, according to FanGraphs’ version of the stat, with 4.8.
It’s the best mark among pitchers, besting Zack Wheeler’s 4.2, and is tied with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. as the highest in MLB.
If he hadn’t missed some time, deGrom would be projecting a 10-WAR season, something that very few pitchers have been able to achieve.
After Wheeler, the next best National League pitcher in WAR is San Francisco Giants righty Kevin Gausman, with 2.8.
deGrom has been much, much better than his peers.
He Is The Definition Of Valuable
The MVP award means Most Valuable Player.
According to the definition of the award, it should be given to the most valuable player in the league regardless of position.
Since the Cy Young award exists for pitchers, many voters have excluded them from MVP consideration.
That shouldn’t be the case, otherwise, the award should be named Most Valuable Batter.
It says ‘player’ on the name, and besides Fernando Tatis Jr., no player in the NL has a case to even compete with deGrom when it comes to who has been more valuable to his team.
Without deGrom, the Mets probably wouldn’t be in first place of the NL East.
Jacob deGrom is the NL MVP and it’s not close
— Soren Campagna (@trustinsoren) July 4, 2021
He has been a thoroughly impactful player all year long, and if he is able to complete the regular season in one piece, he should definitely be considered for the award.
He Is Having A Historic Season
People fail to understand that, at this point, deGrom has no competition: he is, hands down, the best pitcher in baseball.
Several top pitchers have been affected by MLB’s recent crackdown on foreign substances on the ball, yet deGrom keeps dominating like no other.
At this point in time, deGrom is competing for the best overall season by a pitcher in MLB history.
He currently has a 0.95 ERA in 14 starts and 85 innings.
The lowest ERA by a qualified starter in the modern era was achieved by Bob Gibson, in 1968, with a 1.12 mark.
.@jaysonst crunched the numbers.
Here’s what he thinks deGrom would need to do to best Bob Gibson’s 1.12. #MLBNow pic.twitter.com/drXEgqM7e5
— MLB Now (@MLBNow) July 4, 2021
That is awfully impressive, yet deGrom is currently improving that number by quite a bit.
The quest for a historic season is something that is certainly motivating deGrom every five days.
He is having an unparalleled season that may end up being the best in the history of the game.
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