JACOB DEGROM GOES #1 TO TRAVERSE CITY CRUSADERS

With the #1 Selection in 2015 Mid-West Baseball League Draft the Traverse City Crusaders select Jacob deGrom – starting pitcher of the New York Mets.   deGrom will be a nice addition to the Crusaders starting pitching staff and could be a staple in Traverse City’s rotation for years to come.

Jacob deGrom, a former starting shortstop for Stetson College, made the transition to starting pitcher, his junior year, first serving as their closer. He would go on to complete four levels of the minors in two full seasons in the minors, after missing all of 2011 due to rehabbing his arm from Tommy John surgery, an injury from the previous fall.
deGrom succeeds by pounding the ball in the zone, showing a clean arm motion, while displaying a bulldog mentality. He sits at 92-94 mph with plus sinking life, and he can rear back for 98 when he needs it. deGrom made progress with his straight change-up in 2013, giving him a good weapon against lefties, while he misses more bats against righties with a fastball & slurvy breaking ball. After logging 148 innings in 2013 at the minor-league level, deGrom showed that his surgery is completely behind him.
deGrom entered the 2014 MLB Season as the Mets’ #10 Prospect according to Baseball America. Jacob started the season at Triple-A, showed he was ready for a promotion to the big league rotation, making his MLB debut in mid-May.
Although he struggled at first during his first 7 starts with the Mets – Everything came together, in which deGrom from June 21st on was one of the best pitchers in baseball the rest of the season: Going 9-2, with a 1.99 ERA & 110 K’s in 99.1 innings; His ERA ranked 3rd best in the N.L., trailing only Clayton Kershaw (1.41) & Edinson Volquez (1.85).
He would go on to become the first Mets rookie in 30 years to win the N.L. Rookie-of-the-Year Award – the last Met to do it? Was by the name of Dwight Gooden. deGrom finished the season 9-6, with a 2.69 ERA, with 144 K’s in 140.1 innings, while showing off an impressive 1.14 WHIP. He also tied a MLB record of 8 consecutive strikeouts in a single-game. His adjustments to the MLB level show off the fact that he’s a smart pitcher, who should fit in nicely with the Mets’ promising rotation that already features Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler, and Jonathan Niese.