Mets: Can Noah Syndergaard rebound in 2018?

Mets ace pitcher Noah Syndergaard missed about five months with torn right lat. While he did return, we didn’t see him go deep into games.

The New York Mets have been decimated with injuries over the last two seasons. The starting pitchers missed a lot of time in 2016 and then the hitters had their turn last season. However, Noah Syndergaard joined then with a torn right lat. Will he be back to his 2016 self when this season starts?

Syndergaard made just seven starts in the 2017 season, five in April, one in September and one in October. He combined just 3.0 innings in his final two starts. After going 1-1 with a 1.73 ERA and 0.885 WHIP, Syndergaard’s fifth start was cut short after 1.1 innings.

He was diagnosed with a biceps injury and a strain right lat but an MRI confirmed a partial tear of the muscle. Initial estimates had Syndergaard missing three months but it turned out he missed five. Syndergaard spent the summer rehabbing on a throwing program and made minor league starts at the start of September.

More from Fantasy Baseball

• 5 fantasy baseball waiver wire pivots to replace Triston McKenzie
• Fantasy baseball mock draft 2023, 12-team: Aaron Judge over Trea Turner?
• 3 fantasy baseball sleepers being drafted too late
• NBA DFS picks December 25: Merry Bucking Christmas
• Fantasy Baseball: Hot pitchers worthy of starting this weekend

Once he was cleared, the Mets scheduled him to pitch just one inning in his first start back. The good thing was that his fastball was back to around 98 MPH. He then pitched two innings, 26 total pitches in his final start.

Syndergaard looked like his former self to end the season. Unless something changes in the offseason or Spring Training, he should be drafted as a top-12 pitcher. But should that be the case?

Syndergaard was the fifth starting pitcher drafted in ESPN leagues last year, 22.0 ADP, between Chris Sale and Corey Kluber. He was a safe bet for another 180 innings and 200+ strikeouts, even with three of the four division opponents finished in the top six in batting average.

This season, Syndergaard is my No. 8 starting pitcher, behind Zack Greinke. While you can’t predict injuries, you’re always cautious when someone comes back after missing significant time. He threw hard but it was just for one inning. I need to see what he looks like after four, five, six innings.

With more news coming out, I can see myself moving Syndergaard up as high as No. 5, ahead of Stephen Strasburg, who’s had his fair share of injuries, and Madison Bumgarner. But we are a few months away from Opening Day.

Next: Carlos Rodon is a deep sleeper for 2018

Syndergaard is clearly the best pitcher on the Mets. He doesn’t give up the long ball (0.7 HR/9) and walks (1.9 BB/9) and he strikes out a lot of batters (10.3 K/9). Those numbers are a result of great pitch control and pitch mix. He is a back-end SP1 that won’t be available after the fourth round. Get him while you can.