Jacob deGrom deserves his own thread because ...

[batmagadanleadoff]

The team thrives on adversity. When the Cardinals lost the services of Bob Gibson with a broken leg (suffered on July 15 when he was hit by a line drive from the bat of Roberto Clemente), their uncertain pitching was supposed to cave in. Gibson, who was throwing batting practice on Aug. 28, may not get back into the rotation until the middle of September, but his absence enabled Nelson Briles, a 24-year-old right-hander with a discouraging record of 4-15 last year, to start, and Briles has done splendidly. Briles uses the no-windup style that Pitching Coach Billy Muffett teaches so well�as do Relief Pitcher Ron Willis (three earned runs in his past 19 appearances) and Starter Dick Hughes. Early in the year Hughes appeared in 10 games as a relief pitcher, but since he became a starting pitcher his record is 13-4. At the age of 29 he could win the league's Rookie of the Year award.

[G-Fafif]

Also, TSN picked Marichal over Seaver as its RHP in 1969 (as every other pack I opened in 1970 informed me). Such anti-Seaver bias!

[MFS62]

Wow!
Billie Sol Estes and Scipio Spinks mentioned in the same thread.
I love this place.

Later

[batmagadanleadoff]

Topps awarded their trophy to Seaver. So it's Seaver 2 - Hughes 1.

[Frayed Knot]

7 extra starts and 50-some more innings pitched is a good argument in Seaver's favor and enough to make up for minor differences in WHiP.

[Zvon]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Topps awarded their trophy to Seaver. So it's Seaver 2 - Hughes 1.

Hughs certainly deserved a cardboard rookie award. If he was a Metropolitan I'd make him one.
But he's not.

[Edgy MD]

I'm guessing the Mets could get... three... of those trophies next year?

[Edgy MD]

NL Players Choice for the Outstanding Rookie.

[Zvon]

Nice. Keep rackin' em up.

t-minus 6 days?

[Ceetar]

Do athletes, at least the better ones, have two trophy cases? One for the 'real' awards and one for the random ones? Little trophies and plaques for things like NL Players Choice can't go next to like, NL Cy Young can they?

Same goes for movie stars. I bet they don't put their MTV awards next to their Oscars.

[Lefty Specialist]

So I guess the NL Players Award is kind of like the People's Choice Awards, then.

[Centerfield]

Edgy MD wrote: NL Players Choice for the Outstanding Rookie.

Do you mean next year meaning this next year's cards for this year's rookies (d'Arnaud, Familia, deGrom) or next year meaning our three outstanding rookies next year (Herrera, Syndegaard, some yet to be determined phenom)?

[Edgy MD]

I think you meant to quote my adjacent post.

I meant to suggest that the 2015 Topps All-Rookie Team for 2014 could potentially include fwee Mets: d'Arnaud, d'Grom, and d'Familia (though I don't even know if they explicitly set aside a spot on the team for a reliever).

[Centerfield]

Yup. And next year there will be three more.

[G-Fafif]

Though R.A. Dickey accepting the Cy Young news was less than two years ago, seeing Jacob deGrom smiling and offering thanks for the Players Choice felt like the first time in a long time I'd seen a Met win a merit-based award. Maybe it was because R.A. was gone not long after the Cy. In any event, it was fun. I hope there's more fun next week. And for that matter, tonight Gold Glove-wise.

[Edgy MD]

KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT AT THE CHRISTMAS PARTY JACOB!!

[Frayed Knot]

G-Fafif wrote: Though R.A. Dickey accepting the Cy Young news was less than two years ago, seeing Jacob deGrom smiling and offering thanks for the Players Choice felt like the first time in a long time I'd seen a Met win a merit-based award. Maybe it was because R.A. was gone not long after the Cy. In any event, it was fun. I hope there's more fun next week. And for that matter, tonight Gold Glove-wise.

Yeah, at least we know deGrom will be here for a while ... or at least until he gets shipped to Anaheim in the Trout trade.

[Edgy MD]

Rookie of the Year finalists announced.

Jacob deGrom
Billy Hamilton
Kolten Wong

I don't know what this finalist stuff is about, but a big BOOOO!!! from the Familia and d'Arnaud camps.

[Zvon]

Edgy MD wrote: Rookie of the Year finalists announced. Jacob deGrom Billy Hamilton Kolten Wong I don't know what this finalist stuff is about, but a big BOOOO!!! from the Familia and d'Arnaud camps.

That is new, isn't it? This finals stuff?

[Frayed Knot]

They've been doing it for the GG awards for the last 2 years or so but this year is the first time I remember seeing it for RoY, CY, MoY & MVP.
I don't like it. Not that it's a huge deal or anything since all they're really doing is telling you the top three finishers in advance, I just don't see the point of it all.
I guess they think it somehow builds intrigue but I don't agree.

[Ceetar]

I went

deGrom
Hamilton
d'Arnaud

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Yeah, I didn't realize how great d'Arnaud's second half really was until I took a look at his season numbers last week. I'd have him-- and maybe Panik-- ahead of Wong.

[Edgy MD]

You know, it's like you forget that Jeurys is YOUR OWN SON!

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

If I'm not pushing him, THEN WHO ELSE WILL, CONSARNIT?

[Ceetar]

and what about ERIC CAMPBELL?

[Zvon]

T-minus 24 hours.

[Edgy MD]

The promise of Jacob deGrom and the Mets

That pitcher struck out about seven batters for every nine innings he pitched in the minors, right around the league average at every stop. He was a ninth-rounder who was hit hard by teenagers in Rookie League for five starts before he underwent Tommy John surgery, and he started the year in the minors because the Mets figured they had five better starting pitchers. Look at the video again. Back to the first two sentences of this paragraph. Back to the video. Back to -- how did an arm that good produce such underwhelming numbers in the minors? How did an arm that good not break camp with a Mets team having open auditions for fifth starter? It doesn't matter. The straw is gold now.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I like that the Mets have become all about stealth prospects. Both deGrom and Lagares have shocked based on their pro careers to the point at which they joined the game. Even Harvelous has been more marvelous than you would have guessed. I'm certain these flukey successes will be balanced out by surprise flops along the way but its fun and encouraging after so many years of relying on other teams to develop Met talent to see some of these guys come along so unexpectedly. Who's next?

[Edgy MD]

I guess, in a sense, Plawecki has snuck up on things.

But among guys who never did in the minors what they would eventually do in the majors, how about Jayce Boyd? Or Logan Verrett?

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Dominick Smith who?