https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mets-jacob-degrom-might-be-better-than-ever-now-that-he-is-baseballs-hardest-throwing-starting-pitcher/

Mets' Jacob deGrom might be better than ever now that he is baseball's hardest throwing starting pitcher

By Mike Axisa

From 2018-19, no pitcher in baseball was more dominant than New York Mets right-hander and reigning two-time Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom. Among the 128 pitchers to throw at least 200 innings the last two years, deGrom had the lowest ERA (by 16 points) and the highest ERA+ (by five points), and he led all pitchers in WAR. It's not particularly close either:

Jacob deGrom, Mets: 17.4 WAR from 2018-19
Justin Verlander, Astros: 14.2 WAR
Max Scherzer, Nationals: 14.1 WAR
Aaron Nola, Phillies: 14.0 WAR
Gerrit Cole, Astros (now Yankees): 12.3 WAR

Three starts into the new season and deGrom has been as good as ever. He's allowed just four runs and 12 baserunners through 17 innings while striking out 22. Monday night he held the Braves to two runs in six innings. He struck out 10 (NYM 7, ATL 2).

I'm sure you're curious, so here's what a 94 mph slider looks like:


I have no idea how anyone gets a hit ever with pitchers throwing like that. Every base hit is a minor miracle.

Anyway, deGrom has always been a hard thrower. Last season he was third among all qualified starters with a 97.2 mph average fastball velocity. The year before he was fourth at 96.7 mph. Jumping from 96-97 to sitting 99 is a significant increase, however, and deGrom credits the velocity spike to being locked in with his mechanics.

"This break -- and even in spring, just working on my delivery -- I actually feel like it's coming out with less effort than in years past," deGrom said during a conference call following Monday's start. "I think just with that time off, I continued to work on my delivery, and feel like everything's kind of in line where I want it to be."

https://sportshub.cbsistatic.com/i/r/2020/08/04/f2b49b00-6383-4d93-9f34-686939e98890/resize/670x377/8ae0a05d6fd0e18720828f501a0a3632/brooksbaseball-chart2.png

Velocity is not everything, we know that, but it's not nothing either. The harder you throw, the less time the hitter has to react. It really is that simple. Yankees lefty James Paxton is missing about 4 mph in the early going this season and his performance has suffered tremendously. That is not a coincidence. Velocity matters quite a bit.

deGrom had an unconventional development path -- he was a college shortstop who had Tommy John surgery soon after moving to the mound in pro ball, and he didn't make his MLB debut until a month before his 26th birthday -- so he has less mileage on his arm than the typical 32-year-old. Including the postseason, he's not yet reached 1,200 MLB innings.

Pitchers typically lose velocity as they age, that's the nature of the sport, though deGrom is such an athletic freak and he has less wear and tear on his arm than most pitchers his age that he's actually gaining velocity. Will it last? I guess we'll find out. Even if it doesn't, he's shown he can dominate at 96-97 mph. If he stays at 99 mph though, deGrom's best may still be yet to come.

Poll question: Best pitcher in baseball

Poll result (6 votes) Jacob deGrom (4 votes) Vote not Scherzer (0 votes) Vote not Cole (0 votes) Vote not Kershaw either (2 votes) Vote Cmon. It's deGrom. (0 votes) Vote

the hitter is basically guessing. You've got to decide almost immediately, what you think it is. It's cutter speed, with more break...HOW SWAY???

now that Thor is down for the count Jake has picked up the mantle of Mjolnir and is smiting foes with the Hammer of the Gods like Cap in Endgame.

But Warthen himself is gone, right?

Honestly, a 60 game season might be the place for the most blackpilled pitching approach since the 80s. We're in a pandemic and that's just biding time until the massive disaster and dislocations of climate change really get rolling. Why not throw a 94mph slider? You may not be using your ligaments for anything important tomorrow anyhow.

may never last as a ft starting pitcher

It’s so pretty and effortless and the power he generates off the bat.

I can’t decide if I just want to see him dedicate full time to hitting, the stuff I saw from his pitching 2 years ago was also so nasty.

99mph two-seamer, that ran in on a right handed hitter. Look at how much it breaks...at 99mph!! Machado nearly snaps himself, in two.
https://ftw.usatoday.com/2020/08/dustin-may-dodgers-99-mph-pitch-movement-reaction-mlb

On deck: https://youtu.be/kffacxfA7G4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hw_UMdFSSlo

0.56 ERA is the lowest in a pitcher's first 10 starts of a season since ERA became an official statistic in 1913

0.53 WHIP is the lowest by any pitcher in his first 10 starts of a season since the mound was moved to 60 feet, 6 inches in 1893. It's also the lowest WHIP for a pitcher in any 10-start span, at any point in a season, since at least 1901 (min. 50 IP).

reached 100 strikeouts in 61 2/3 innings, the fastest any starter has reached 100 strikeouts in a season since the mound was moved to its current distance in 1893

has five RBIs this season and has allowed just four earned runs. He's the first pitcher with more RBIs than earned runs allowed over any 10-start span in a single season since RBI became an official stat in 1920

https://www.mlb.com/news/jacob-degrom-2021-era-and-stats-tracker

( if you’re just joking around then disregard my statements)!

He isn’t even top 10!

He is just having a great historical year. That’s it. He doesn’t have the career body of
work. One season doesn’t make a person the goat.

He doesn’t have 300 wins. He doesn’t have 3000 SO. He doesn’t 300 Saves
And has never won 20 or more games in a season. And doesn’t have any
tremendous PO stats.

Only one pitcher in this era where an argument can be made for top 5...and that’s
Kershaw...knock against him though is choking in the post season.

And then you tack on the extreme substance-cheating in this era,
he will be treated similar to players of the steroid era

Koufax
Maddux
Walter Johnson
Randy Johnson
Pedro Martinez
Seaver
Carlton
Kershaw
Gibson
Cy Young

but I PARTIALLY agree with allstah...

particularly about the comparison to Kershaw. But you can throw in Verlander and Scherzer...or compare King Felix's run from 2009 - 2016.

But since he's a late bloomer, lets see if he can sustain this success like the Big Unit. Randy Johnson came up when he was 24...really figured things out when he was 29 and was a monster well into his 40's.

Nolan Ryan did it twice, and nobody else has done it more than once

https://twitter.com/StatsBySTATS/status/1410773536390713346

Verlander and Scherzer, still smoking people

Tigers, still terrible

.