51s’ Syndergaard keeps focus on mound, not call from Mets
When Noah Syndergaard received a phone call in September from New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson, the big 51s right-hander thought it was the call he’d been waiting for his whole life.
“You think that this is the phone call to be called up to the big leagues, so I started shaking a little bit,” the 6-foot-6-inch Syndergaard said. “The next thing you know, the phone call is to tell me that I’m not being called up, so it’s pretty heartbreaking to hear that because it’s been my dream ever since I was a kid.
“I’m definitely using that as motivation for this year.”
Making his second start of the season for Las Vegas on Saturday night before a sellout crowd of 9,928 at Cashman Field, Syndergaard allowed two runs on two hits with five walks and five strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings of a 17-4 win over the Fresno Grizzlies.
The power pitcher, who was clocked at 99 mph, surrendered a two-run homer in the fourth to Houston Astros prospect Domingo Santana.
Syndergaard, 22, was on an 80-pitch limit (he threw 82) as a precaution stemming from a sore elbow that bothered him during spring training.
“My elbow feels great now,” Syndergaard said Friday. “It was just a little flareup, a little tendinitis that was bothering me. It was nothing major, but it was at the same time as (Zack) Wheeler had his Tommy John (surgery) and (Josh) Edgin as well.
“But it feels great, and I’m ready to go.”
Syndergaard led the Pacific Coast League in strikeouts last season with 145 but compiled a career-worst 4.60 ERA that didn’t match the great expectations that come with being one of baseball’s top prospects.
“He’s improved since last year. He’s grown up,” 51s manager Wally Backman said. “He might be coming in with a little chip on his shoulder this year. He’s determined to prove to people that he’s really that guy.”
Rated the No. 11 prospect in the game by Baseball America, the 240-pound Syndergaard said he does have a chip on his broad shoulders this season.
“Most definitely,” he said. “I love pitching in Vegas, I love living in Las Vegas — the atmosphere is unbelievable — but it’s not the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal is to pitch in the big leagues, and I want to get there as soon as possible and continue to help the Mets get some victories.”
Syndergaard regards the trials and tribulations of last season — his first in Triple A — as an invaluable learning experience.
“There were a couple times last year where, I wouldn’t say I was clueless on the mound, but I was not familiar with it, because that was the first time in my career I actually struggled,” he said. “But I feel it’s going to help me in the future, because there’s going to be times when I’m in the big leagues when things are not going my way, and I’ve got to know how to handle it.”
A former first-round draft pick of the Toronto Blue Jays whom the Mets acquired in a 2012 trade for former Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey, Syndergaard said he didn’t really learn how to pitch until last season.
“I came into last season as more of a thrower than a pitcher because that’s what I did my entire career, and I thought it was pitching,” he said. “Two years ago, when I was in (Double-A) Binghamton, I dominated just primarily on my fastball. I didn’t really have to throw any changeups or be consistent with my breaking pitches, and those weaknesses really showed last year, because these hitters are extremely talented.
“They’re going to be able to hit a fastball no matter how hard it is, especially if they see it three times in a row.”
Syndergaard said he feels like a completely different pitcher this season.
“Just the comfort level and the amount of confidence I have out there and my mentality,” he said.
Syndergaard’s confidence was boosted by a strong spring training performance that drew raves from Alderson and Mets manager Terry Collins.
“Terry and Sandy both said my big league spring training this year was like night and day (from last year),” Syndergaard said.
51s pitching coach Frank Viola expects big things this season from the tall Texan.
“He learned a lot from last year, and he’s ready to take off this year,” said Viola, a former Cy Young Award winner. “Everybody was comparing him to a young (Matt) Harvey and a young (Zack) Wheeler last year, and that’s not fair. Everybody’s different.
“His future is immense. He had to come back here and prove himself a little more. I don’t think he’ll have a problem with that.”
Syndergaard said he’s flattered by comparisons to Harvey and Wheeler, but he’s long had his sights set on even bigger game — such as winning Cy Young awards and World Series titles on his way to the Hall of Fame.
“Those are the ultimate goals,” he said. “Nobody wants to be the best pitcher in the PCL. They want to be the best pitcher in the world, and they want to compete against the best people in the world.”
While a call from the Hall ultimately might be part of Syndergaard’s future, a call to the majors will suffice for now. But he’s trying not to think about it.
“That’s something I paid way too much attention to last year,” he said. “Right now, my focus is on getting the ball every five days and continue to get better.
“I need to go out there making things happen as opposed to hoping things will happen.”
■ NOTES — Travis Taijeron had two homers and five RBIs, and Kevin Plawecki had five RBIs. … The 51s (5-5) and Fresno (7-3) will wear special Tark-themed jerseys in today’s 12:05 p.m. game at Cashman in honor of late UNLV and Fresno State men’s basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian.
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354. Follow him on Twitter: @tdewey33.
