For Jacob deGrom voter support from Baseball Writers’ was easier to come by than runs from his fellow teammates.
In a season filled with profound disappointment, the Mets ace got what he rightfully deserved – albeit one journalist, John Maffei, didn’t get the memo that victories alone don’t matter.
Throughout 2018 deGrom carried his cronies like a soldier trying to save a battalion of wounded warriors. His measly 10 wins against nine defeats never shadowed his more relevant stellar stats. The right-hander was truly the pitcher of record literally – striking out 269 in 217 innings, allowing three runs or less in 31 of his 32 starts (29 straight) with a major league leading best 1.70 ERA to boot.
The resilient right-hander kept his banged up brood in the game on numerous occasions and held his head high even after his relief corps couldn’t seal the deal he was destined to close. Not to mention all of the times he desperately tried to help his own cause by getting on base with the swing of his bat.
I’ve never been one to hop on the conventional wisdom bandwagon and thrilled by the fact that 29 out of 30 scribes agreed on what was clearly a no-brainer.
A boatload of wins will forever be a factor, but on Wednesday a former long-haired hurler from DeLand, Florida just changed the perspective of Cy Young Award winners.
