Mets' Noah Syndergaard Motivated Following 'Heartbreaking' End To 2014
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Noah Syndergaard, the Mets' top pitching prospect, still hasn't thrown a pitch in the big leagues.
Assuming he's healthy, that will change in 2015. The 22-year-old right-hander is expected to make his major league debut this season, and he's eager to show what he can do following an underwhelming and disappointing 2014.
"It was kind of heartbreaking," Syndergaard told reporters on Wednesday, in regard to general manager Sandy Alderson telling him that he wouldn't be a September call-up. "I went home, let things relax a little bit, and then got back in my workout program and just enjoyed time in the offseason. But it was disappointing.
"To be in the big leagues has been my dream ever since I was a little kid ... I use it as a little extra motivation, because I don't want to hear that phone call again."
Marc Carig on Noah Syndergaard
The Mets currently have a six-man rotation, consisting of ace Matt Harvey, Rookie of the Year Jacob deGrom, potential opening day starter Zack Wheeler, veteran Bartolo Colon, lefty Jon Niese and Dillon Gee.
Gee was expected to be traded in the offseason, but Alderson decided to keep him. It's unlikely that he'll be dealt before opening day, and manager Terry Collins might decide to shift him to the bullpen.
It's unclear when Syndergaard will be called up. Depending on injuries and how he fares in Triple-A, it could be in April or May or as late as the summer months.
But the former first-round pick insists that, unlike last year, he's not wasting energy focusing on when he'll get to Queens.
"I started really pressing, getting really tense last year, because I paid attention to the Super 2 deadline," Syndergaard said. "I had too much in my head last year. And when it wasn't happening, I started pressing a little bit more. Now, I just kind of let things take its own toll."
Syndergaard struggled at times for the Las Vegas 51s in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League last season. He went 9-7 with a 4.60 ERA, striking out 145 and walking 43 in 133 innings pitched.
