JACOB deGROM SYNDROME

EXCELLENT PITCHERS WHO DON'T WIN AND NEITHER DO THEIR TEAMS

WHAT IS JACOB deGROM SYNDROME?

Jacob deGrom

I want to spend a few moments addressing an old problem of Jacob deGrom’s: he pitches well, and neither he nor his team wins the games. Now, I’m well aware of how we now discount the value of won-loss records of pitchers, but there remains a caveat that when an extreme occurs in the record, we do pay attention. That’s how it should be.

Take a look at deGrom’s career. Pay particular attention to 2018 and 2019, the seasons in which the syndrome truly formed. In those two seasons, deGrom went 21-17 (.553) and the Mets went 28-36 (.438). In those two seasons, Jacob deGrom had an ERA of 2.05. 2.05!

WHO IS SUFFERING THIS SEASON FROM JdS?

Now that you see and hopefully understand the JdS (Jacob deGrom Syndrome), let’s look at five of the starters who are suffering this season.

• The Mets are doing it again. This season, Kodai Senga has made nine starts. He is 4-3. The Mets are 5-4. Senga has an ERA of 1.43.

• Texas has a victim. This season, Nathan Eovaldi has made 11 starts. He is 4-3. The Rangers are 5-6. Eovaldi has an ERA of 1.60.

• The Red Sox are wasting their ace. This season, Garrett Crochet has made 11 starts. He is 4-3. The Sox are 6-5. Crochet has an ERA of 1.98.

• Look at this White Sox starter! (I hate exclamation points, so you must know this one is worthy.) This season, Shane Smith has made 10 starts. He is 1-3. The South Siders are 1-9. Smith has an ERA of 2.36. I hope he is dealt to a contender.

• You know who the Pirates are wasting (not just the money of their paying fans). This season, Paul Skenes has made 10 starts. He is 3-5. The Bucs are 3-7. Skenes has an ERA of 2.44. Ken Rosenthal at The Athletic addresses trade considerations of Skenes.

These guys are not the only ones, but they are the five worst. Subscribers can feel free to ask the team record of any pitcher they are curious about, and I will happily oblige.

Just remember, TJS = Tommy John Surgery and JdS = Jacob deGrom Syndrome.

STREAKING

• The Phillies have won seven straight and are in first place in the NL East by 2.0 games over the Mets.

• The Athletics have lost nine in a row and are in last place in the AL West, but only 5.0 back of the Mariners.

• José Ramírez, the most underrated star in the majors, has a 15-game hitting streak. He has 23 hits in his streak and is hitting .390.

  

• The Angels’ Tyler Ward has extra-base hits in eight straight games. He has 10 XBH over that time, with five homers, four doubles, and a triple. He is hitting .412 over the streak and slugging 1.029 (that is slugging, not OPS).

• Brendan Rodgers of the Astros has struck out at least once in 18 straight games. He has struck out 28 times over that stretch.

• J.P. Crawford of the Mariners has walked in five straight games. He is hitting just .188, but his eight walks enable him to have a .458 OBP.

• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has reached base successfully in 22 straight games. It’s been a combination of 24 hits, 15 walks, and one HBP.