Mets’ Opening Day starter will be Noah Syndergaard

Noah Syndergaard has been officially given the Opening Day start by Mets manager Terry Collins.

On April 3rd, Thor will throw the first official pitch of the 2017 season at Citi Field for the Mets, Terry Collins confirmed today while speaking with reporters at Port St. Lucie. This is Collins’ second proclamation about Opening Day and Noah Syndergaard, but this one is the official one we had been waiting for.

When asked about being named the starter for this big day, Syndergaard responded that “it’s a huge honor. It’s what I’ve been working for since I’ve been with the Mets…I’m just thrilled that Terry [Collins] instills that confidence in me.”

Over his short career, Syndergaard has already been everything we could have hoped for and more. He’s easily been the best and most consistent Mets pitcher over the past two seasons, so this start is very much deserved.

We had him pegged as the Mets ace going into 2017 in our Mets Season in Review after he put up incredibly dominant numbers last season. His 218 strikeouts in just over 183 innings pitched really showed how much he’s improved in just his second year in the league. At 24, Syndergaard’s potential is through the roof as many experts along with fans expect him to contend for the Cy Young for years to come.

Syndergaard has also shown to be the healthiest of Mets starters, which gives Collins the security of being able to name him this far in advance. He pitched through bone spurs in his elbow that for sure made him feel uncomfortable at times on the mound. Not only did he battle through them, but he excelled.

In 2016’s last game of the season, the game we do not speak of, Syndergaard matched the San Francisco Giants’ Madison Bumgarner pitch for pitch over 7 incredible innings. While the result did not end in our favor, that game showed us the type of guts and absolutely filthy stuff Syndergaard can have.

This year, Syndergaard is going to try to be even more dominating. He told reporters earlier this week that he’s actually gained more muscle weight this offseason, and wants to be able to throw even harder. As long as he stays healthy, and his arm stays intact, I’m all for it.

Noah, you’ve made us proud, and you’ve definitely earned this start to represent all of us on Opening Day. Now we just have to wait for April 3rd. It can’t come soon enough.