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Back-To-Back? The (easy) case to prove Jacob deGrom can repeat as the NL Cy Young winner

With just a few days until the season ends for the Mets, the future has never seemed brighter. With young talent flourishing, they are sure to get rewarded for their efforts. Pete Alonso appears to be a steal for Rookie of the Year, and he may even get some MVP votes. But what of the starting pitching?

In the last two months, Jacob deGrom has that spark that won him the NL Cy Young Award last season. With convenient timing and the stats to back him up, it is not far off to think deGrom can repeat this year.

Starting off slow in the early months of the season, deGrom managed to fight back. In 31 games pitched, deGrom has a 10-8 record with a 2.51 ERA. In his last 15 games, he has a 6-2 record with a 1.80 ERA and 120 strikeouts. While his ERA isn’t as impressive as his 1.70 last year, his consistency is there. This is also the third straight season he has struck out over 200 batters. He went 24 starts allowing two runs or fewer, which still leads the NL. deGrom also has 18 starts pitching at least seven innings, which leads the majors. Now that is pretty impressive.

Now for the advanced stats for all of you modern folk. When it comes to WHIP, he has a 0.990 mark. That is a .078 difference compared to last year. Along with his WHIP, deGrom’s 6.9 bWAR and 6.7 fWAR leads all NL pitchers.

At first, it was considered impossible for deGrom to be considered the true pick for the NL Cy Young Award. The Dodgers’ Hyun-Jin Ryu and Nationals’ Max Scherzer were on fire prior to the All-Star Break. Both have suffered injuries that have slowed their season down. Even with stats on par with deGrom’s, health has managed to keep number 48 ahead of the curve. Luis Castillo and Stephen Strasburg may have the wins to help their cause, but as we learned last season, that’s not all that matters in the voting.

It is a rare feat when a pitcher wins back-to-back Cy Young awards. Tom Seaver won three, but none one right after the other. In an age where stats matter, deGrom continues to prove that his mechanics are not something to wash away.

One of the reasons the Mets may not fully be out of the Wild Card race, deGrom continues to defy expectations. What he lacks in wins he makes up for with guts and skills that open up all eyes.

Just like last season, deGrom’s case is pretty straightforward. Will the voters get it right once again?

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Baseball Editor, Misc. Sports Editor. Covers all things combat sports (MMA, Pro Wrestling and Boxing). When he's not writing, Daniel hosts a podcast, The Main Event.
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