Could Jacob deGrom follow that blueprint in ? Set to enter his third season with the Rangers, deGrom has thrown a grand total of 41 innings with Texas due to Tommy John surgery. Now 36 years old set to turn 37 in June , deGrom is six years removed from his last full season, when he took home his second consecutive NL Cy Young Award for the Mets.
The comparison to Sale, who won his long-awaited first Cy in his first season with the Braves, is appropriate and provides optimism for deGrom potentially returning to form. Sale in Age season, 31 starts over the past four seasons and six years removed from his last full, effective season To be clear, there is probably more risk for deGrom.
To be fair, he was healthy in , but the season was shortened due to the pandemic. Furthermore, deGrom is the rare two-time Tommy John surgery recipient , one who is trying to mount a comeback to full-time stardom in his late 30s. Projected for the second-most WAR 5. That would represent the third-highest WAR deGrom has produced in a season, trailing only the 9. Of course, that 5. In fact, deGrom has not even made 26 starts and reached innings combined dating back to the season.
The ZiPS projections, also at FanGraphs, paint a much less rosy picture , mostly due to playing time, pegging deGrom at just 12 starts, roughly 52 innings and 1. Among starters who threw at least innings during that time, deGrom was the top starter by practically any measure you look at.
We were able to do that. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. His slider, too, came in at This might be a good thing for deGrom. The list of starting pitchers who can consistently throw as hard as deGrom was and remain a full-time starting pitcher is pretty limited. When deGrom took home his first Cy Young Award in , his average fastball was Perhaps, the veteran right-hander also recognized that he could still have success in a lower velocity bracket, albeit a velocity that is still better than most starters.
