Anyone who has followed the Los Angeles Dodgers this season knows all about Noah Syndergaard. The former All-Star was brought in on a one-year prove it deal this offseason to eat up innings and be a middle of the pack starter. Syndergaard had lost his way recently and he hoped that by signing with Los Angeles, it would get his career back on track. However, it's gone worse than anyone could have anticipated.
Syndergaard has looked like a shell of himself this season and the final straw came last week against the Cincinnati Reds that saw his ERA jump to 7.16. He was put on the injured list the next day due to a lingering "blister" issue and his future with the team remains uncertain. Manager Dave Roberts spoke about Syndergaard and what may have plagued him this season.
"I think with Noah, the physical, the mental, the emotional part, as he's talked about, has taken a toll on him,” Roberts said. “So the ability to get him away from this -- he left today to go back to Los Angeles -- you know, to kind of get back, get back to normalcy. … I think for me it's just kind of a reset, and we'll see where we go from there."
In reality, it's not just one thing that has made this season rough for Sundergaard but a mixture. He has spoken about his frustrations and how he would give his hypothetical unborn first child just to be able to pitch well again. It's clearly taken a toll on him because those are some strong words.
Another factor in his struggles has been his decline in velocity. His fastball has averaged just 92.4 mph this season, over four mph lower than his career. Syndergaard just isn't able to get major league level talent out and it's caused massive issues.
"I don't think that he embraced whatever version was there," Roberts said, "in the sense that, at one point, I think he was really dead-set on chasing velocity and getting back to that person who can throw the ball 100 mph, and then I think there was some resolve to commanding the baseball, increasing movement, and then he went back to kind of wanting to get some more velocity."
The hope is that after Syndergaard deals with his blister issue, he can take a mental break and come back stronger. If he can't, not only will his Dodges career be finished, but possibly his Major League career.
Los Angeles has an abundance of young arms just waiting to be called up to the show. They can't afford to give Syndergaard many more chances to show he has changed as they contend for a World Series. His future with the team hangs in the balance and unfortunately, he has nobody to blame but himself.
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