“I just feel real in control on the mound,” he said. “My legs feel real stable and powerful, able to maintain my balance easier. I think it’s going to allow me to go deeper in ballgames.”

Syndergaard, 24, has no complete games among his 58 major league starts, including the postseason. He spun seven shutout innings in the Mets’ wild-card loss to San Francisco last October, allowing two hits, with 10 strikeouts. His counterpart, Madison Bumgarner, went the distance for the Giants.

The idea of a Syndergaard upgrade sounds appealing — same exciting features, but now at faster speeds with longer battery life! But the specter of serious arm injury stalks all hard throwers. Alex Reyes, the St. Louis phenomenon, was an early spring victim of a torn ulnar collateral ligament. David Price, Boston’s $217 million ace, left camp this week to meet with surgeons but dodged bad news on his forearm — he’ll miss between a week and 10 days, the Red Sox said.

The Mets are rolling out their marquee starters for the first time this spring. After Syndergaard’s debut on Friday, Jacob deGrom takes his turn on Saturday, followed by Matt Harvey on Sunday and Steven Matz on Monday. The latter three — and Zack Wheeler, who owns the fifth locker stall on the starters’ alley in the Mets’ clubhouse — have all had Tommy John surgery.

Syndergaard dealt with a bone spur last year, but maybe that was the worst of it, and he remains a marvel — as his superhero nickname, Thor, suggests. His W.B.C. comments should further endear him to Mets fans, who love nothing more than a player who commits himself, in body and mind, to the blue and orange. His decision showed his priorities and gave relief to Collins.

“Yeah, especially with what’s happened the last couple of years with our pitching, some of the big injuries we’ve had — and especially him,” Collins said. “We had already planned to bring these guys along slow and I didn’t want to rush them, and I think he’d have to be rushed to go pitch in the W.B.C. I know it’s an honor to pitch for your country, I understand all that stuff. But this guy’s at the beginning of a very, very long and successful career, and I thought he did the right thing.”