No pitcher has won three Cy Youngs in a row since Randy Johnson nearly 20 years ago, yet that's the goal for New York Mets stud ace Jacob deGrom.
New York Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom has established himself as elite. Very elite!
Winner of back-to-back Cy Young awards, his 2019 season started off a bit rocky thanks to a tough April but rounded off into fine shape. Should he win a third Cy Young in a row in 2020, he’d be the first pitcher to do so since Randy Johnson’s four-peat from 1999 to 2002. He’s also become only the third pitcher to accomplish the feat, with Greg Maddux winning four in a row from 1992 to 1995.
In his last two seasons, deGrom has been an absolute stud. Over that stretch, he posted a 2.05 ERA and 524 Ks over 421 innings.
However, due to the Mets’ lack of success, deGrom only has 21 wins in 64 starts. His walk rate (1.9) and strikeout rate (11.3) have been very steady between 2018 and 2019. He extended his streak of 200 or more innings in a season to three years, and has had at least 239 strikes in each of those three seasons. His 2019 started with two electric games (no runs over 13 innings with 24 Ks), but deGrom had three disaster performances over his next seven starts (5.31 ERA).
In his last 23 starts, he allowed two runs or fewer in 21 games, leading to a 1.89 ERA and 188 strikeouts over those 152 innings. He completed the season on 21 shutout innings with 24 strikeouts. DeGrom dominated right-handed (.202 BAA) and left-handed (.213) batters. His AFB (97.2) was a career-high with improvement in each of the previous three years. He has three top-tier pitches (four-seam – .219 BAA, slider – .185 BAA, and changeup – .185 BAA).
His ADP (7) puts him in the first round in every 2020 draft. Look for deGrom to push for a career-best in wins with a reasonable potential for a sub-2.25 ERA and a run at 300 strikeouts.
READ MORE: 2020 New York Mets Fantasy Team Preview