The 2020 season was not the year that Marcus Stroman had in mind for his first full season as a Met, but pitching coach Jeremy Hefner believes the best is still to come from the Mets’ right-hander.
And perhaps some hardware could even be in Stroman’s future.
Speaking with SNY’s Gary Apple on Wednesday’s Mets Hot Stove, Hefner touched upon a number of different topics, but when the conversation turned to Stroman, Hefner reiterated something he’s said before: Stroman has the potential to win a Cy Young Award.
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“Stro’s an artist. That’s what I love about him,” Hefner said. “He’s able to do a lot of different things. He’s able to manipulate his body in certain positions to create different pitch types and movements on the ball, and he’s got three or four different sliders and he’s got the sinker going, the change -- I mean, he’s got the whole bag.
“He can match up against any hitter in Major League Baseball and have success. I said it earlier in the summer, he could be a Cy Young winner, and I still believe that. Stro has the ability to go out and take over a game and entertain us all at the same time.”
After posting a 3.77 ERA in 11 starts with the Mets following the 2019 trade deadline, Stroman suffered a torn calf muscle during 2020 summer camp and then elected to opt out of the season due to COVID-19 concerns.
But there’s no doubting that a healthy Stroman in 2021 could be a huge boost for the Mets’ rotation, as the Long Island native is a former All-Star selection and Gold Glove winner, posting a career 3.76 ERA and 1.292 WHIP.
Stroman even chimed in on Twitter on Wednesday night, saying he can’t wait to get back to work with Hefner and the Mets’ staff in 2021.