X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Will Syndergaard Sit On The Throne Again?

Scott Engel goes in-depth to find out if New York Mets starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard's struggles can be solved soon, making him a buy-low candidate in 2019 fantasy baseball leagues.

On Saturday night at Citi Field, Noah Syndergaard was not ready for the bright spotlight. It was Game of Thrones Syndergaard Bobblehead Night, and Met fans lined up deep outside the ballpark for their unique souvenir of the hard-throwing fifth-year starter. But as has been the custom so far this year. Syndergaard disappointed. He allowed five runs in five innings as the Mets lost to the Brewers, 8-6.

Everyone seemingly wants Syndergaard to succeed. He is not arrogant and often comes across as humble. But he is also playful and entertaining on social media. Mets fans have taken to him as a promising young strikeout artist who offers hope as part of the latest potentially exciting pitching staff the franchise has assembled. The best Mets teams were often propelled higher by stellar pitching. Fantasy players view Syndergaard as a high upside strikeout producer.

But after five starts to the season, no one is getting what they want from Syndergaard, as he is off to the worst start of his career at 1-3 with a 6.35 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP. He has allowed four earned runs in four of five starts, including a career-high four outings in a row. Fantasy players want to know now, can Syndergaard turn this around? Others want to know if they should buy low on him. So to answer those questions, I gathered viewpoints from various sources at Citi Field this past weekend. Here are the theories as to why Syndergaard has struggled so mightily early this season, and if he can right himself soon.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Theory One: Bad Luck

Mets manager Mickey Callaway pointed to Syndergaard being unfortunate before last Saturday’s start. Noting Syndergaard’s strand rate (56.8 percent) and BABIP (.376), he had valid statistical points. The strand rate was actually at 50 percent before Saturday night’s game. His XFIP is 3.59.

Mets beat reporter Mike Puma of the New York Post agreed with this line of thinking. “Part of it has been bad luck. I know the ERA is high but it seems like an inordinate number of balls just fall in on him. He hasn’t lost anything as far as his stuff. He’s still throwing the fastball 98 to 99,” Puma said. But as Syndergaard himself pointed out, his problems stem from more than just being unlucky.

 

Theory Two: Can’t Get a Grip

After the Milwaukee loss, Syndergaard lamented how he just does not have a good feel for his slider and curve, and how he simply cannot get good grip on his pitches. He does not trust the slider and curve at all right now. “Every time I get a new baseball out there, it feels like I am holding an ice cube,” he said. “Every baseball I get feels as slick as can be.” This has been a widespread complaint throughout MLB, although the league denies any changes in the supplied baseballs.

Against the Brewers, he did not throw a single curve the second time through the lineup. He has also been talking about troubles with the slider since the beginning of the season.

“I just feel I’m throwing it with my fingertips,” Syndergaard said. ”Normally I would grip it just how you should throw a slider, throw it like a fastball, and I would get results. Now every time it seems when I try to grip and throw it like a fastball it’s going to spin out of my hands because I have zero grip on the ball.”

Overall, Syndergaard is throwing his fastball 60.4 percent of the time, which is considerably higher than the 53.6 mark of last season. His slider usage is down from 20.9 to 17.5 percent and his curve has been deployed a career-low 6.6 percent, down from his career mark of 12.5. Which leads us to the next theory.

 

Theory Three: Predictability

As I always say, baseball is a constant game of adjustments, and Syndergaard admitted the league has likely adjusted to him. According to Yahoo Sports’ Wallace Matthews, who covers the team for the Flushing Meadows Baseball Club site, the fireballer has become predictable:

“I don’t think there’s anything physically wrong with him, he’s just learning how to pitch,” Matthews said. “He’s got a lot of talent, he can throw very hard, but he really hasn’t made the adjustment yet from thrower to pitcher. I think we see that constantly with him. He’s had control problems, he’s been hittable when he’s in the strike zone and I think it’s because he’s gotten predictable. He’s coming hard at you all the time. I think the difference between thrower and pitcher is a big one, and he hasn’t achieved it yet.”

Puma echoed the sentiments of Matthews. “Maybe he’s got to mix in more, not be as predictable. Maybe he is going too hard at times, maybe take a little off his slider and his changeup to give the different look so everything is not as hard,” Puma said.

Callaway simply wants Syndergaard to be more economical with the strikeout as less of a pure end goal.

“It’s not about striking a guy out, it’s about getting a guy out in three pitches or less,” the manager said.

But are we examining all of this just a bit too closely?

 

Theory Four: It’s Early

We hear this one all the time in Fantasy Baseball and baseball itself. Be patient. Buy low. It’s all going to turn around soon. Reporters and players agree.

“I’d be stunned if this keeps up much longer. Syndergaard is just too good of a pitcher,” Puma said.

Mets outfielder Michael Conforto said the whole staff has endured troubles so far (The 5.37 team ERA is 27th in the league), but will rebound, as Steven Matz and Zach Wheeler have already bounced back from shaky outings.  Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom will follow suit soon, he said.

“I think as a whole, not just Noah, there’s been some tough starts for some of our starters and we know that’s not them. I think that’s something that’s going to work itself out. Those guys are just going to go out and have dominant performances, it’s just who they are. So we’re not worried about Noah or Jake. Our pitching staff’s going to be fine.”

Former teammate Travis d’Arnaud saw it similarly. “I think his stuff has been there, I think he’s going to turn it around, he’s only pitched a (few) games. He’ll keep doing what he has been doing his whole career.”

Syndergaard feels like he is close to a breakthrough, despite all his struggles so far.

“I’m not pressing the panic button quite just yet. I still have every bit of confidence in my abilities. I’m not getting the results I want, something’s not clicking. But I’m just one split second away from turning this all around.”

But are we keeping raised expectations that shouldn’t have been there to begin with?

 

Theory Five: We Rated Him Too Highly

Fantasy players drafted Syndergaard as a high-end SP2 this year. Some analysts, like myself, thought he could make the step forward to being a No. 1 Fantasy starter. But Matthews said he is just not ready yet to be a premier starting pitcher.

“I think people expected him to be 1A to deGrom’s 1 this year and it just hasn’t worked out that way yet,” Matthews said.  “I think the difference between thrower and pitcher is a big one, and he hasn’t achieved it yet.”

So how will he figure it out? How will he “execute” as Callaway put it, to the point where he can be successful again? The staff has given him much input, and Syndergaard has continued to prep heavily for every turn. But what exactly needs to “click” for Syndergaard to regain his better form?

A coach can’t identify that,” Callaway said. “That’s what the player needs to figure out.”

Syndergaard feels like it’s just not going his way, in a big way. But rather than focus on one item, he thinks it is a mix of issues that have caused his early season downfall.

“It’s kind of a combination of everything. When it rains it pours,” he said.

 

The Outlook

While the myriad theories exist, there seems to be widespread confidence that Syndergaard has the considerable talent and high-end arsenal to turn things around soon. Matthews’ view that he has to make the transformation from thrower to pitcher, though, should make you view him as less of a Fantasy superstar type when he does regain his better form. It’s certainly recommended to buy low on Syndergaard, as long as you know you will get a SP2 at best in return. That ain’t too shabby, though.

More 2019 Fantasy Baseball Advice




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Yordan Alvarez

Resumes Swinging -- Return Imminent?
Jake Burger

to Miss an Additional 2-3 Weeks
TreVeyon Henderson

Signs Rookie Contract
Christian Watson

Goes on PUP List
Austin Riley

Hopes to be Activated Next Week
Ketel Marte

Lands on Restricted List After Burglary
Ricky Pearsall

Heads to PUP List
Brandon Aiyuk

Placed on PUP List
Luther Burden III

Signs Rookie Deal
Washington Nationals

Eli Willits Expected to Sign Contract on Saturday
Grayson Rodriguez

Being Shut Down Again - Will We See Him Again This Year?
Ezequiel Tovar

Activated and Back in Lineup on Friday
Max Fried

"Hopeful" to Pitch Next Week - Looks Like He'll Avoid IL Stint
Steven Kwan

Receives Injection in Wrist, Considered Day-to-Day
CJ Abrams

Back to Start Second Half
Alec Bohm

Back From Rib Injury on Friday
Trey Hendrickson

Holdout to Spill into Regular Season?
Jalen McMillan

Bucs Offensive Coordinator Not Forgetting About Jalen McMillan
Levi Onwuzurike

to Miss at Least Four Games
Nick Emmanwori

Seahawks, Nick Emmanwori Reach Agreement on Rookie Deal
Max Holloway

Set For Main Event
Brandon Lowe

Back From 10-Day Injured List
Dustin Poirier

Set For His Final UFC Fight
Roman Kopylov

Set For Co-Main Event
Paulo Costa

Returns At UFC 318
Luis L. Ortiz

to Remain on Leave for Another Month - Will he Pitch Again?
Daniel Rodriguez

Looks For Third Win In A Row
Kevin Holland

Set For His Fourth Fight This Year
Dan Ige

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
MMA

Patricio Freire Set For His Second UFC Fight
Daniel Zellhuber

Set To Open Up UFC 318 Main Card
Michael Johnson

Looks For Third Consecutive Win
Elijah Arroyo

Signs Rookie Deal
Jaydon Blue

Described as "Borderline Lazy"
T.J. Sanders

Bills Sign T.J. Sanders to Rookie Deal
Christian Wilkins

Raiders Put Christian Wilkins on PUP List
Jabari Small

Lions Add Jabari Small to Backfield
Quinshon Judkins

Remains Unsigned, Won't Report With Rest of Rookies
Mason Taylor

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Jets
Hendon Hooker

Leading Lions QB2 Battle Entering Training Camp
Ozzy Trapilo

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Bears
Tate Ratledge

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Lions
Jack Bech

Signs Rookie Contract with Raiders
Yegor Chinakhov

Requests Trade
Dakota Joshua

Maple Leafs Acquire Dakota Joshua
Lukas Dostal

Signs Five-Year Extension with Ducks
Shemar Stewart

Not Practicing With College Team
Eugenio Suárez

Eugenio Suarez Expected Back Friday
Damian Lillard

Returning to Portland
Paul Skenes

Pirates Could Preserve Paul Skenes in Second Half
Brooks Barnhizer

Grabs 19 Points, Nine Boards in Summer League Win
Jeremiah Fears

Scores 22 Points in Summer League Loss to Thunder
Isaiah Collier

Collects 17 Points In Summer League Win
Caleb Houstan

Joins Hawks
AJ Johnson

Erupts for 25 Points in Summer League Loss
Washington Wizards

Leaky Black Logs Double-Double in Loss to Jazz
Connor Norby

Undergoes Surgery, Expected to Miss 6-8 Weeks
Trey Alexander

Tallies 25 Points in Losing Effort
Johni Broome

Records Second Consecutive Double-Double
Jahmir Young

Has Historic Summer League Outing
Rob Dillingham

Plays Big Role in Wednesday's Win
Tyrese Proctor

Erupts for 35 Points Against Kings
Cody Williams

Leads Jazz to Victory Against Wizards
LeBron James

Mavs Not Interested in "Gutting its Roster" For LeBron James
Josh Hart

Undergoes a Procedure on Right Finger
Jake Burger

Goes on 10-Day Injured List With Quad Strain
Sal Frelick

Dealing With Grade 1 Hamstring Strain, TBD for Start of Second Half
Chris Sale

Plays Catch
Los Angeles Clippers

Bradley Beal Heading to Los Angeles to Join Clippers After Contract Buyout
Rayan Rupert

Scores 24 Points in Summer League Win
Derik Queen

Collects Third Consecutive Double-Double in Summer League Loss
GG Jackson II

Records 13 Points in Summer League Action on Tuesday
Johni Broome

Logs Double-Double Against Wizards
DaRon Holmes II

Records Double-Double in Summer League Loss to Raptors
Kyle Schwarber

Named All-Star Game MVP
Harris English

Takes Stellar 2025 Performance to The Open Championship
Aldrich Potgieter

Seeks Better Result in Northern Ireland
Cameron Young

Likely to Hang Around at The Open Championship
Cameron Smith

Just Trying to Make the Cut at Royal Portrush
Jordan Spieth

Is Jordan Spieth Still a Natural for Links Style Golf?
Patrick Reed

a Viable Option at The Open Championship
PGA

Sungjae Im Wants to Rebound from Last Experience at Royal Portrush
Xander Schauffele

Looks to Defend His Claret Jug at Royal Portrush
Tony Finau

Trying to Turn Tide at Royal Portrush
Daniel Brown

Seeks a Rebound at The Open Championship
Rory McIlroy

Will be the Most Watched Player This Week at Royal Portrush
Daniel Berger

Trending Poorly as The Open Championship Looms
Clayton Kershaw

Retires Both Batters In ASG Appearance
Robert MacIntyre

Hoping to Bounce Back at Open Championship
Shane Lowry

Hopes to Repeat at Royal Portrush
Brian Harman

Hopes to Rekindle Some Magic at the 153rd Open
UTA

Michael Carcone Returns to Utah on One-Year Contract
Bowen Byram

Signs Two-Year Deal with Sabres
Morgan Barron

Jets Re-Sign Morgan Barron for Two Years
PGA

Chris Gotterup Punches Ticket to Royal Portrush With Win at Scottish Open
Bryson DeChambeau

Hopes to Reverse Links Golf Struggle at the 153rd Open
Keegan Bradley

Needs to Find The Weekend at Royal Portrush for Ryder Cup Hopes
Justin Thomas

Finishes Tied For 22nd at Genesis Scottish Open
Scottie Scheffler

Finishes Tied For Eighth at Genesis Scottish Open
Jon Rahm

Finishes in Second at LIV Andalucia
Tallison Teixeira

Suffers First-Round TKO
Derrick Lewis

Scores First-Round TKO
Stephen Thompson

Loses Controversial Split Decision
Gabriel Bonfim

Wins Controversial Split Decision
Calvin Kattar

Gets Outclassed At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Extends His Win Streak
Nate Landwehr

Gets Knocked Out
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere Scores Third-Round Knockout
Austen Lane

Suffers Submission Loss
Vitor Petrino

Scores First-Round Submission In Heavyweight Debut
Tuco Tokkos

Earns His First UFC Win
Chase Elliott

Charges to A Finish of Third At Sonoma
Chase Briscoe

Finishes Second With his First Career Road-Course Top-Five at Sonoma
Christopher Bell

Rollercoaster Day Ends With Top-5 Finish at Sonoma
William Byron

Maintains the Regular-Season Points Lead
Kyle Busch

Earns A Hard-Fought Top-10 Finish At Sonoma
Alex Ovechkin

Not Thinking About Retirement
PIT

Penguins Acquire Arturs Silovs
NHL

Nikolai Kovalenko Returns to Russia
Tyler Reddick

Evades Near Upset to Remain Alive in In-Season Challenge
Ty Gibbs

One of Three Tylers to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinals
Kyle Larson

Curiously Mediocre at Sonoma Before Late-Race Crash
NASCAR

John H. Nemechek Edges Out Teammate to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Alex Bowman

Ty Dillon Bumps Alex Bowman to Advance to In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Shane Van Gisbergen

Can Anyone Beat Shane van Gisbergen at Sonoma?
Tyler Reddick

Better at Sonoma Than Record Shows
Chase Elliott

a Prime DFS Option at Sonoma
Michael McDowell

Struggling a Bit at Sonoma
NASCAR

Christopher Bell Has Never Finished Better Than Ninth at Sonoma
Ryan Blaney

Has Top-10 Upside at Sonoma
NASCAR

Sunday at Sonoma Will Likely Be a Long Race for Bubba Wallace
Kyle Larson

Is A Likely Top-Five Contender for Sonoma
Ryan Preece

Points Position Could Affect Race at Sonoma
Todd Gilliland

Struggling to Find Speed at Sonoma
Ty Gibbs

May be an Underrated Favorite to Compete for the Win at Sonoma
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF