Getting called up in May of 2014, deGrom was only inserted into the starting rotation when Dillon Gee suffered an injury. In 22 games started, he pitched to a 9-6 record with a 2.69 ERA, but many of us had never even heard of him before he came up. I still remember it like yesterday when he was called up with Rafael Montero. It was Montero “and this other guy” to pitch against the crosstown rival-Yankees.
Going into the 2015 season, deGrom was another young pitcher we couldn’t quite make up just yet. Although he pitched well the year before, how could we know how he’d handle the bright lights, especially as a penciled in starter?