ATLANTA -- The teenage Jacob deGrom was uniformly respectful, but like all teenagers he had strong opinions about what he wanted and what might be best for him, and he knew what he didn't want. Long before he became the greatest pitcher on the planet, he had no interest in pitching.
The year before he was drafted by the New York Mets, his summer ball coach presented him a choice -- he could either pitch, or he could serve as a backup infielder, with no promise of regular playing time. By deGrom's way of thinking, he was a starting shortstop.