New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom. Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Mets' Jacob deGrom no longer a fan-favorite?

By Zac Wassink | Last updated Oct 20, 2022 2:57 PM ET

Ace Jacob deGrom may have thrown his final pitch as an employee of the New York Mets at a point where his popularity among members of the club's fan base has arguably never been lower.

For a survey shared by Tim Britton of The Athletic, only 3.8 percent of respondents named deGrom their favorite Mets player this fall. To compare, deGrom checked in at an incredible 72.3 percent back in January of this year.

"This is the result I was most interested in seeing because of the juxtaposition with last year when deGrom was the runaway winner," Britton noted. "Nine months later, he’s seventh on the list."

National League batting champion Jeff McNeil topped the list at 21.3 percent, followed by slugger Pete Alonso (20.4 percent) and star shortstop Francisco Lindor (16.8 percent).

According to a survey conducted by The Athletic, Jacob deGrom's popularity with Mets fans has taken a nose dive. pic.twitter.com/4mpCBz0ItJ
— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) October 20, 2022

It's the latest twist in the saga involving deGrom, who missed the second half of the 2021 season with lingering elbow issues and declared in March he planned to opt out of his contract at the end of the current campaign. The two-time NL Cy Young Award winner then suffered a stress reaction in the scapula of his pitching shoulder before Opening Day that kept him out of action until early August.

In total, deGrom went 5-4 with a 3.08 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, and 102 strikeouts across 11 starts and 64.1 innings of work in 2022.

While deGrom has been linked with the Atlanta Braves, New York's hated NL East rivals, since the summer months, Mets general manager Billy Eppler said last week that he and the 34-year-old had "a good conversation" shortly after the club's elimination from the playoffs at the hands of the San Diego Padres.

"I think things are positive and the relationship is positive, and we'll see where it ultimately goes," Eppler added at that time. "But he knows how we feel."

Zac Wassink

Zac Wassink is a longtime sports news writer and PFWA member who began his career in 2006 and has had his work featured on Yardbarker, MSN, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. He is also a football and futbol aficionado who is probably yelling about Tottenham Hotspur at the moment and who chanted for Matt Harvey to start the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. You can find him on X at @ZacWassink

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