Mets: Three Noah Syndergaard predictions for the 2021 season

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PORT ST. LUCIE, FL – MARCH 08: Noah Syndergaard #34 of the New York Mets in action against the Houston Astros during a spring training baseball game at Clover Park on March 8, 2020 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. The Mets defeated the Astros 3-1. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

New York Mets fans and Noah Syndergaard have a complicated relationship.

We love him, his fire, and his passion. What we don’t love, is the sometimes failed hype, inconsistency, and lack of playing time.

With that being said, this may very well be the final season for Thor donning the blue and orange, so here are some predictions on how this season may go.

The first prediction is that Noah Syndergaard will battle management over playtime. He will claim to be ready for opening day, but the Alderson led Mets will hold him until May/June.

Of course with Noah being the stubborn competitor he is, he will not be happy and publicly talk about it. There may even be a few memes and shirtless pictures of him throwing to run the point home.

However, when he returns he’ll be placed on innings limits. This means we will frequently see the ball come out of his hands in five innings or less. Again, this will not make him happy.

How the Mets manage these innings is important if they are truly playoff contenders. If he comes back too early, it’s doubtful they will push him past the 180 innings limit. Alderson is well aware of what happened to Matt Harvey when pushed in 2015.

If they bring him back in May or June, he can be a great addition to a team that will hopefully be playing well already or a sparkplug to a team that’s skirting along.

Regardless, it is important to have a healthy and available Noah Syndergaard for the playoffs.

Sep 2, 2019; Washington, DC, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard (34) throws to the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /

Noah Syndergaard will come back and pitch well despite the time off.

After sitting out for an entire season plus, Thor will have to once again prove his god-like nature. For him, this will be especially important because his 2019 showing on the mound was not too great by his standards.

Coming into 2020 Noah was fired up to begin working and you just had a feeling something magical would happen. Unfortunately, he pushed his body too hard or the years of throwing nearly 100 mph caught up with him.

One thing that should tick back up is his fastball velocity. After a Tommy John surgery, it seems some pitchers come back better than ever, while others never regain form. For the ones that do come back, they generally throw harder and faster. You would think it would be the case for Noah, who’s velocity and strikeout rate have decreased a bit over the years.

If Mets can get around 20 starts from Syndergaard and he pitches to a 3.50 ERA or better, I’d say that’s a return to form. In 2019 he pitched to a 4.28 ERA and in 2018 it was a 3.03, splitting the difference would be great.

Then, you have to factor in the competition factor. We know what Jacob deGrom is. Marcus Stroman and Cookie Carrasco are being slotted in for starters two/three. David Peterson is the four and Joey Lucchesi is battling to secure that number five spot. So Syndergaard is going to have to come back, pitch well, and take someone’s spot.

There’s a chance that all of these pitchers are pitching fairly well too. Things will get tricky to make it work, but with injuries, these things always tend to work themselves out.

NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 25: Noah Syndergaard #34 of the New York Mets of the New York Mets looks on during the seventh inning against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field on August 25, 2019 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. Teams are wearing special color-schemed uniforms with players choosing nicknames to display for Players’ Weekend. The Braves won 2-1. (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images) /

My last prediction is unfortunate and has a caveat. Aside from the time spent on IL at the beginning of the year, I predict he’ll spend at least back to back starts injured.

This is more likely if he returns earlier than June. After such long layoffs, pitchers frequently will experience dead arm. If you combine that with the Tommy John surgery, you’ll also have the usual soreness or scar tissue break up to deal with.

Syndergaard has a history of not communicating his injuries properly or taking advice from team doctors. Hopefully, this has changed and he is as in tune with his body as the doctors presiding over him.

Again, pointing back to the handling of Matt Harvey and to a smaller extent, the time it took Zack Wheeler to get his body ready, the Mets can make an informed decision.

The last thing Noah would want to do is have a repeat of the torn lat debacle that cost him practically a season for no reason in 2017.

Noah Syndergaard is one of the most exciting pitchers in the big league when doing well. His personality is perfect for New York, his stuff is electric when completely on. I’m sure everyone would love to see him duke it out with Jacob deGrom for an NL Cy Young one day.

Next. What a Noah Syndergaard extension could look like

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Whether we get the awesome 2016 or the inconsistent 2019 Syndergaard, the Mets will be in a great place if we get something in between.

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The first prediction is that Noah Syndergaard will battle management over playtime. He will claim to be ready for opening day, but the Alderson led Mets will hold him until May/June.

Noah Syndergaard will come back and pitch well despite the time off.

My last prediction is unfortunate and has a caveat. Aside from the time spent on IL at the beginning of the year, I predict he’ll spend at least back to back starts injured.

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