The (Potentially) Best Reliever in Baseball is a Number 2 Starter on a Sub-Par Team
It is clear that Noah Syndergaard is a specimen when he takes the mound. At 25 years old, the 6’6”, 240 lb. starter hurls baseballs at speeds consistently sitting in the upper 90’s. According to Statcast, Syndergaard’s sinker and fastball sit at an average velocity this year at 97.6 mph and 97.3 mph respectively. His slider, referred to by other MLB personnel as “unhittable”, has seen speeds of up to 95 mph. There is no question that Thor’s arsenal contains that of superhero-like qualities. Since Syndergaard’s debut in the Majors, the biggest fears of Mets executives and fans relate to the health of their young starter.
The cliché superhero troupe applies to the Big Apple’s second fiddle: Their biggest strength is their biggest weakness. However, injuries are inevitable and neither the Mets nor any MLB team should preoccupy themselves with injury concerns. Rightfully, the Mets continually keep Syndergaard at the front-end of their rotation. Simply watching the right-hander pitch makes evident that he belongs at the top of a rotation. Living in New York, I’ve had the unique opportunity to hear every argument there is surrounding Syndergaard as well as see most of his outings. I whole-heartedly agree that it is right for the Mets to utilize Syndergaard as much as they can, but the way in which they utilize him might be hurting both the individual and the team.
A short time ago I was lucky enough to work for a company called Motus Global. A sports technology company based in Rockville Centre, NY. Motus’ unique background in biomechanical analysis brought to my attention the glaring need for organizations to individualize player training regimens. The idea is that everyone is different and therefore will not react the same to a one-size-fits-all routine that most Major League clubs have been deploying. The main goal of Motus is to bring their love for biomechanical analysis to the masses by creating wearable technology. Moreover, Motus’ validation of their products is just as important (if not more important) to the relevance of their proprietary technology’s impact on training.
So, where am I going with this?…
While everyone responds to different forces on the arm of a throw, certain factors can be attributed to more stress on the elbow, such as height and body weight; two qualities that are present (to say the least) in Syndergaard. Just by being larger than most, Syndergaard generates more torque in his arm during a throw. With a high-velocity pitcher like Syndergaard, he already puts himself at risk for injury just by being large and throwing as hard as he does.
That’s where biomechanics comes in…
It would be silly to infer that any large-abled body that steps foot on the mound should not pitch simply because he is at a higher risk of injury. There is no denying that the talent of a Syndergaard should and does belong out there for all the world to see. As a result, the question then becomes: how do we, as coaches, parents, organizations, and players, make sure that talented pitchers are being utilized properly and without endangering their arms even more?
The modern thinking for protecting pitchers hinges on three things:
- Moderate workload
- Solid Mechanics
- Moderate Workload
But pitchers are still getting hurt. This is in part due to weight training and the intensity at which they train off the pitcher’s mound. Syndergaard, as we know, tore his lat last season after reporting that he wanted to build more muscle the offseason prior. While strength is always preferred in sports, it may not make sense for pitchers to build muscle in certain areas. Legs are an important feature for pitchers, as their momentum is generated, as well as torque, from the lower half. However, the upper half of the body (mainly hips and up) should be more flexible than anything, allowing for proper mobility, being that pitching is a rotational occurrence. In addition, mechanics play a large role in injury risk as well. While the eye test might pass for Syndergaard’s mechanics on the mound, biomechanical assessments are invaluable in identifying minute idiosyncrasies within a delivery that can be utilized for even more optimization.
While we see the dominance Noah has put forth in a starting role, the longevity of his endeavors in this position seems to be tearing him down given his stature, training regimens, and usage. This is why I suggest a switch to the closer’s role. Clearly, he has proven to be a sound starting pitcher. However, given his ailments and the lack of objective monitoring from the Mets (we’ve discussed this before), we must consider what is best for not only the team but the player as well. In fact, Noah is in many ways so talented that I believe he can become some sort of a hybrid pitcher. That is, someone who takes on the duties of a starter and a late-inning pitcher, but of course, this would require even more monitoring.
The Mets have struggled to close out games lately with the shakiness of Jeurys Familia as their current closer. Familia owns a 9.3 K/9 ratio as well as a 3.6 BB/9 ratio over the past seven seasons. Syndergaard, on the other hand, has owned a 10.4 K/9 ratio versus a 1.9 BB/9 ratio over four seasons as a starter. We’ve also seen flashes of Syndergaard coming out of the bullpen in the 2015 playoffs against the Dodgers in the NLDS (0 H/2 SO/1 BB) and once following his ejection after throwing behind Chase Utley in which he threw 14 of 17 pitches for strikes with nine of those pitches clocking in at 100+ mph.
This is not to suggest that every team should take one of their best starters and just transition them to the bullpen. However, the Mets have proved that they cannot keep Syndergaard healthy in his current role and a move like this would reduce his workload to be a bit more manageable. Lastly, I’ll leave you with this: would you really want anyone else on the mound in a close game in the ninth than a fresh Thor?
-Mike Lambiaso
