00:00Jacob DeGrom, I want to circle back on him because it's a conversation that I feel like is similar to
00:07the conversation that so many people have about NFL quarterbacks.
00:10And we talk about the best in the league at any given moment. And then there's always the guy that
00:15comes up. Well, he's as talented as anybody in baseball. You can't forget about this guy because he's as talented.
00:21And when you talk about the all-time great NFL quarterbacks, the names that jump to mind are Brady, Montana,
00:28Marino, Manning.
00:30Aaron Rodgers just announced that he's coming back for his 22nd season.
00:34Rodgers is a name that like every football fan that you ask, well, he's probably not one of the Mount
00:40Rushmore or five best quarterbacks ever, but he's probably the most talented quarterback ever.
00:44So I want to ask you, in the era of Verlander, Scherzer, Kershaw, that's the holy trinity of pitchers from
00:53that generation.
00:55DeGrom is probably rounding out the Mount Rushmore from that generation. Is he the most talented of all those guys?
01:03Verlander would be right there, I think. You think about the peak of Verlander.
01:08But in terms of, I guess it depends on how you define talent.
01:11But when I think you take, when you think about the athleticism and just, just the, the, the special ability
01:17of DeGrom, a converted shortstop in the way that he moves on the mound.
01:22I, yeah, I do think that he's the most talented. I think you look at the stretches that he has
01:25had where he was, I think we were putting together like stretches where we're comparing to Bob Gibson.
01:31Right. And if that's happening, you're probably the most talented pitcher in your sport at that given time because they
01:36had to change the rules for that guy.
01:37So with how smooth and clean the delivery is and how explosive the stuff is, and you'll get the strikeout
01:43to walk rates.
01:44I mean, this is a guy that was consistently that. And I think that's why he's probably the most talented
01:48that we've seen.
01:50And, and, and I think it would be a no brainer if we didn't go, you know, one, two, three,
01:55four, five straight years without him going more than a hundred innings.
01:59I mean, one of those wasn't his fault. It was 2020, but I mean, that is the, the, the tough
02:03part about it all.
02:04So the fact that he's doing this at 37 and now 38 years old, I think is, is such a
02:09deserved and important reminder that this guy was one of the best to, to do it in our generation.
02:15One of the more talented to ever do it. And, and I think also getting that late start at 26
02:20years old, is that converted infield or out of college?
02:22I think makes it a very different and unique circumstance. I mean, his peak, it's going to be hard to
02:28argue that any other peak in the modern era has looked that much better.
02:31It's fine wine, man. And somehow went under the radar and, and obviously it did go under the radar because
02:36of how the Rangers performed last year and how underwhelming they were at points.
02:40But DeGrom was flirting with 180 innings last year. This is technically his age 38 season. He turns 38 years
02:47old in mid June and DeGrom in 50 and two thirds innings has allowed 38 hits, 61 punch outs to
02:54eight walks.
02:55And to your point about the strikeout to walk thing, I was looking back like 22, obviously everybody wants to
03:00talk about 102 Ks to eight walks in 30 innings in 23, 45 Ks to four walks his first year
03:06in Texas, 104 punch outs to 18 walks in 2020, 146 to 11 in 2021 with the Mets.
03:13He was an all-star. He still finished ninth in Cy Young award voting and he threw 92 innings.
03:19So if DeGrom can get to like 170 innings and understandably so, if like a young Schlittler has some rough
03:26starts in July or August, why can't DeGrom be in the Cy Young conversation and be one of the oldest
03:31winners to ever secure a Cy Young award?
03:34So we'll see. Yeah, I don't think that's outrageous. And when you look at this stretch of like 2018 to
03:402021, it was like 500 innings at some of the best pitching we've ever really seen.
03:47So that's where it's really fun to look at. And I think that 21 season was the one that I
03:51can't get away from.
03:52Like what would have happened if we got to see the finality of that year where 92 innings, you mentioned
03:56it was 14.28 Ks per nine, 1.08 walks per nine.
04:01I mean, he was truly on pace to potentially give us the best season we've seen from a starter in
04:07the last 20 plus years.
04:10Opponents hit a buck 29 against him in 2021. What do you think the OPS against him was?
04:19380, 400, I'll go 400.
04:22Yeah, 402. It was a 402 OPS against him, which is just insane.
04:27Ridiculous.
Comments