By Anthony Navaro





Noah Syndergaard (Wikimedia Commons)









The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a lot of unexpected changes to the world. Major League Baseball is still searching for a solution, the National Basketball League & the National Hockey League have been put on hold, and the National Football League will carry out their annual draft virtually. The year 2020 seems to be full of surprises and it is only April.

Noah Syndergaard, nicknamed Thor, has been a mainstay in the New York Mets rotation since his call up in 2015. The Mets acquired Syndergaard in a 2012 trade with the Toronto Blue Jays that featured veteran knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, Josh Thole, top prospect Travis d’Arnaud, and a 20-year-old Syndergaard. Despite giving up the 38-year-old reigning Cy Young award winner in Dickey, the Mets did well for themselves and acquired two top 25 of MLB.com’s top 100 prospects back in 2014. As we fast forward in time, Syndergaard evolved into one of the hardest throwing pitchers in the league. He even added a slider to his arsenal which was also clocked as one of the fastest in the league. According to Statcast data, Syndergaard averaged 97.8 mph on his fastballs and 90.8 mph on his sliders over the first five years of his career. Both averages rank the highest of any starting pitcher in the majors. Lighting up the radar gun has always been a blessing and a curse in MLB. Many scouts and analysts refer to Syndergaard as a ticking time bomb because of the way he pushes the human body and consistently throws baseballs as hard as possible.





From a pitcher’s standpoint, the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) can be seen as a kryptonite. The UCL provides stability to the medial aspect of the elbow. Damaging this ligament often comes from extreme valgus stress and/or chronic forceful throwing. Once the ligament is damaged or torn, the next step is to undergo UCL reconstruction, also known as Tommy John. At the MLB level, Tommy John takes 12 to 18 months in order to recover. This used to be a career ending injury before the advancement of modern medicine.





In 2017, Syndergaard was sent to the Disabled List with a partially torn right lat. The following year, he strained a ligament in his right index finger and contracted a viral infection known as Coxsackievirus. Also, in 2019, Thor was sent to the 10-Day Injured List with a hamstring strain. Last year was an inconsistent one for the hard throwing right-hander. Syndergaard finished the year with a 4.28 ERA in 197.2 innings and chalked up 202 strikeouts. He posted a record of 10-8 and his 4.28 ERA was the highest of his five-year career. People began to wonder if he was being overworked and maybe they were right. Two months ago, Syndergaard said “you’ve either got to adapt or get left behind”. He was referring to his closing window for maximizing a potential big-time extension or free agency contract. He compared himself to the New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole. He noted how at the same age, the two pitchers had very similar numbers at the same point in their careers. With Syndergaard’s risk factors being off the charts, it is intriguing to picture the righty earning a contract that would be worth nearly $300 million.





Heading into the 2020 season, the Mets had high expectations for their pitching staff once again. They did lose Zach Wheeler to free agency, but the additions of Rick Porcello and Michael Wacha added to the idea of depth. This came to a crashing halt on March 24 when the Mets formally announced that Syndergaard would undergo Tommy John surgery on March 26. The righty expressed that he began feeling discomfort in his throwing elbow prior to the cancellation of the rest of spring training. He remained in contact with the training staff throughout the league wide shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The staff recommended an MRI which revealed the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. Throughout spring training, Syndergaard started three games with a 3.38 ERA and posted a 0-1 record over eight innings. Due to the recovery period, Syndergaard will miss the beginning of next season and will likely return in the early summer of 2021. He is under team control through the end of the 2021 season which will then allow him to hit the free agent market. This will be another challenge that Syndergaard is forced to overcome throughout his roller coaster career.





MLB has already seen their fair share of UCL injuries and the regular season has yet to begin. Syndergaard joins New York Yankees fireballer Luis Severino and Boston Red Sox southpaw Chris Sale who have also undergone Tommy John surgery this spring. San Diego Padres reliever Andres Munoz was another victim that went under the knife for Tommy John surgery last month. These pitchers share a common pursuit to light up the radar gun which will place all four of them on the injured list in 2020. This is a problem that Major League Baseball is forced to deal with year after year because more and more pitchers are in need of surgery.





At this point, MLB is still looking for a solution due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The league has been going back and forth on some potential changes in order to make the 2020 season happen. Once the season begins, with Syndergaard on the shelf, the Mets will now be forced to have Porcello and Wacha in the starting rotation. More pressure will be placed on all five starters even if the season is shortened or altered. In my opinion, the most stress will be put on Marcus Stroman. He was once the ace for the Toronto Blue Jays until being traded to the Mets last season. He was blessed by pitching behind a two-time defending Cy Young award winner in deGrom and a talented Syndergaard. With Thor out of the picture, Stroman must deliver for the Mets if they want a shot at making a run for the Commissioner’s Trophy. Here is what the New York Mets pitching staff will look like.

Projected Starting Rotation

1. Jacob deGrom

2. Marcus Stroman

3. Rick Porcello

4. Steven Matz

5. Michael Wacha

If you were not skeptical about Noah Syndergaard before the 2020 season, now may be the time. Last season, the Mets were thinking about parting ways with the right-hander and moving him at the trade deadline. The Mets were asking for “a few arms and a leg” for the star pitcher. The Mets ended up holding onto Syndergaard once again. It is important to remember that the 27-year-old has one of the most electric arsenals when he is on his game. The only problem in recent years has been him being on his game. With Syndergaard hitting free agency at the end of the 2021 season, it will be interesting to see what he brings to the table once he returns from his injury vacation.