Mets pitcher Marcus Stroman needs to bring more than energy to the mound

Through two starts with the New York Mets, Marcus Stroman has gotten beat up. Despite this, his energy has remained high and kept the Mets in the game.

Two starts into Marcus Stroman’s time with the New York Mets, we’ve seen him offer them an opportunity to win. It took some late comebacks each time to leave the park victorious. In each start, Stroman got flayed quite a bit by the opponent.

Through 10.1 innings of work, Stroman has given up 16 hits and 7 earned runs. This is good enough for a 6.20 ERA which is far less than what we expected. He has also walked a total of 5 batters, setting himself for dangerous situations with men on base.

Even the most optimistic of Mets fans may have realized Stroman wasn’t going to have a historic stretch in Flushing this season. An inconsistent track record proved he’s not in the same class as Jacob deGrom. Still, I think everyone can agree we need more than what he has given this team thus far.

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On the positive side, Stroman has been energetic on the mound. This attribute is something I was most excited to see.

During his years with the Toronto Blue Jays, Stroman became a star pitcher based largely on reputation than actual performance. While he did have his moments, at times he looked more dangerous on paper than on the mound.

Stroman undoubtedly helped change the culture around this team. His positivity, electricity, and attempt to show the fans how excited he is to be here has helped. Luckily, a couple of clutch hits have also saved him from earning a loss in each of his two starts.

Would a starting pitcher by any other name have had the same kind of impact Stroman has? Perhaps it’s possible. Because he was a guy even some casual baseball fans knew, a local kid, and in the prime years of his career, I think he was the right choice.

This wasn’t like the Kenny Rogers trade back in 1999 when the Mets brought in a veteran, hoping for the best. Stroman came to New York as a possible piece to build with and around.

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In his early days with the Mets, Stroman has done everything right off the field. His on-field struggles will hopefully soon dissipate. At the very least, keeping his team in the game while never slowing day his energy is something we can look forward to.