On this day in 2010, the New York Mets drafted the eventual Cy Young Award winner and the team's ace Jacob deGrom in the ninth round of the June MLB Amateur Draft. Jacob deGrom has been one of the most dominant pitchers in all of baseball since he entered the league in 2014.
People think of deGrom as the star pitcher that he is now, but many don't know that the New York Mets drafted him as a shortstop.
"On this day in New York sports history, the Mets drafted Jacob deGrom in the 9th Round of the 2010 MLB Draft:" - @ SNY
DeGrom was a solid hitter in college. In his final season in college, his junior year, deGrom batted .263 with one home run and five doubles while splitting time as a pitcher and position player. The one home run he hit was off none other than All-Star pitcher Chris Sale. Here is a video of deGrom taking fellow MLB player Chris Sale deep.
"Jacob deGrom hit a home run off of Chris Sale in college 12 years ago today" - @ Talkin' Baseball
DeGrom's pitching stats that season were average at best, going 4-5 with a 4.48 ERA. Despite these subpar numbers, deGrom's potential was always there, and the Mets took a chance on him in the ninth round.
New York Mets player profile: Jacob deGrom
After deGrom was drafted by the Mets, the future star began his professional career in Low-A rookie ball. Shortly after his pro career began, deGrom tore his UCL and was sidelined for the rest of 2010 and the entirety of the 2011 season.
In 2012, deGrom recovered from his injury and looked like a brand new pitcher. In 2012, in his first full season, deGrom went 9-3 with a 2.43 ERA in Single-A. This was good enough to work his way up to AA and AAA in the next two seasons before making his big league debut on May 15, 2014.
Since breaking into the MLB, deGrom has been one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball. In his rookie season, deGrom went 9-6 with a 2.69 ERA, which was good enough to win the National League Rookie of the Year.
His 2015-2017 seasons were solid. He posted at least a 3.53 ERA or lower each season, but his superstar status would not come until 2018 when he had one of the best seasons of all-time for a Mets pitcher.
In 2018, deGrom went just 10-9 but posted a league-leading 1.70 ERA and struckout 269 batters. This was good enough to win the NL Cy Young Award.
He followed up 2018 with another Cy Young season in 2019 by posting an 11-8 record with a 2.43 ERA and leading the league in strikeouts with 255.
DeGrom is currently on the Injury list for the New York Mets alongside fellow ace Max Scherzer. His expected return is still unclear but will more than likely be in July or August, depending on how he progresses.
"It's reasonable to think we could see Jacob deGrom again in early July:" - @ Anthony DiComo
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