Is Jacob Degrom The Best Pitcher In Baseball?

As the debate rages on about who is the best pitcher in baseball, one name that seems to be getting a lot of attention lately is Jacob Degrom of the New York Mets. Let’s take a closer look at the case for Degrom being the best pitcher in baseball.

Jacob Degrom’s stats

Jacob Degrom is a pitcher for the New York Mets. In 2015, he had an ERA of 1.99. He finished the season with 14 wins and 8 losses. In 2016, he had an ERA of 2.54. He finished the season with 15 wins and 8 losses.

ERA

Degrom’s ERA+ of 202 is the sixth highest by a pitcher with at least 500 innings pitched since 1969, and his .615 win probability added is the 11th best in that time.

strikeouts

Before we get into the breakdown of Jacob deGrom’s statistics, it’s important to note that strikeouts are not the only important metric for a pitcher. In fact, some would argue that ERA (Earned Run Average) and WHIP (Walks + Hits per Inning Pitched) are more important than strikeouts. However, strikeouts are still a very good indicator of a pitcher’s ability, so let’s take a look at Jacob deGrom’s numbers.

In 2019, deGrom had a total of 255 strikeouts in just 201 innings pitched. That means he struck out 11.7 batters per 9 innings, which is an incredible feat. To put that into perspective, the league average for strikeouts per 9 innings is about 8.5. So not only is deGrom striking out more batters than the average pitcher, he’s doing it at a rate that is almost 33% higher than the average!

walks

Degrom has had some trouble with walks throughout his career. In 2016, he finished with a career high in walks per 9 innings, at 4.2. (For reference, the league average for starting pitchers that year was 3.6.) In 2017, his walks per 9 dropped to 3.2, which was still higher than league average but improved from the previous year. So far in 2018, Degrom’s walks per 9 is down to 2.7. This is the lowest it has been since his rookie season, and it is well below league average.

Other top pitchers in baseball

If you ask any Mets fan who the best pitcher in baseball is, they’ll say without a doubt it’s Jacob Degrom. And they might be right. Degrom has had an amazing season so far. But there are other pitchers in baseball who are just as good, if not better. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the other top pitchers in baseball.

Clayton Kershaw

Kershaw, a lefty, is the only active player with three Cy Young Awards and he’s a sure-fire Hall of Famer when he decides to retire. The 30-year-old is 138-60 with a 2.43 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 2,451 strikeouts in 2,097.1 innings pitched (IP) during his career.

Chris Sale

Chris Sale is an American baseball pitcher for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has also played in MLB for the Chicago White Sox. He was an All-Star in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015. sale is a five-time strikeout champion, and he leads the major leagues in strikeouts per nine innings pitched (12.93).

Justin Verlander

In 2019, Verlander was once again excellent, going 21-6 with a 2.58 ERA (3rd in MLB), 0.803 WHIP (1st in MLB), and 300 strikeouts (5th in MLB). He also had his 7th season with 200+ innings pitched. The only starting pitchers with more such seasons sinceVerlander’s debut in 2005 are CC Sabathia and Zack Greinke, each with 9. In other words, when it comes to durability and reliability, Verlander is right up there with the best of the best.

Why Jacob Degrom is the best pitcher in baseball

Jacob Degrom pitching for the New York Mets has been one of the best pitchers in baseball for the past few years. In 2019, he had an ERA of 2.43 and struck out 255 batters. He won the National League Cy Young award that year. There are a few reasons why he is the best pitcher in baseball. Let’s take a look at some of them.

He’s a two-time Cy Young winner

In 2018, Degrom won the NL Cy Young Award after posting a 1.70 ERA, 0.964 WHIP, and 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings. He followed that up with an even better 2019 campaign, winning the Cy Young again with a 2.43 ERA, 0.976 WHIP, and 11.8 strikeouts per nine innings.

He’s been consistent throughout his career

Jacob Degrom is one of the best pitchers in baseball because of his consistency. He’s been in the majors for seven years, and he’s had an ERA+ (a metric that adjusts ERA for ballpark factors) of 133 or better in five of those seven seasons. In 2018, he posted a 1.70 ERA+ (the second-best mark in baseball), and he’s followed that up with a 2.22 ERA+ this season. He’s also been durable, pitching 200 or more innings in four of the last five seasons. Simply put, Degrom has been one of the most consistent and reliable pitchers in baseball over the last several years.

He’s been durable, pitching over 200 innings in four of the last five seasons

Since 2014, only two pitchers have thrown more innings than Jacob deGrom: Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke. In that span, deGrom has a 2.65 ERA (10th), a 2.67 FIP (seventh), a 29.5% strikeout rate (ninth) and a 5.8% walk rate (sixth). He’s been durable, pitching over 200 innings in four of the last five seasons. In 2018, he was limited to 158 innings due to injuries, but still managed to put up a 1.70 ERA with a career-best 32.3% strikeout rate.