This Week in Mets Quotes: Jacob deGrom feels he put himself in a good position for Cy Young

In a lost season…

“I guess, you’re gonna have to ask who votes. I wish I had more wins, but it is what it is. I feel like I put myself in a pretty good position.” –Jacob deGrom [New York Post]

…it was an absolute joy…

“It’ll probably take a couple days [to reflect on my season]. I wish we were in a different position, but I’m very happy with how I threw the ball. Looking back now, I guess it’s kind of crazy there wasn’t really a hiccup” –Jacob deGrom [New York Post]

…to watch Jake pitch.

“I knew I needed 10 strikeouts to get to 1,000 … and that was kind of the goal tonight. I’m very happy with how the night went.” –Jacob deGrom [New York Post]

Ringing endorsement for Jacob deGrom from his opponents.

”I haven’t faced everybody in the game, so I don’t know but I can’t imagine anybody being any better than that.” –Braves Catcher Tyler Flowers [MLB]

”I don’t know how anybody ever beats him. You don’t like to face him. But you know what? When you do face him, man, you appreciate what he is and what he can do.” –Braves Manager Brian Snitker [MLB]

Ringing endorsement for Jacob deGrom from his teammates.

”He pitched incredible. There’s no doubt he should win the Cy Young this year for what he’s done.” –Jeff McNeil [MLB]

”I think it’s his demeanor. I think it’s the way he handles adversity. I think it’s the way he was probably brought up by his parents, how he goes about his business, his work ethic. You can talk about routines and all that, and he accomplishes those every day. … The work that he puts in, the way that he supports his teammates, he’s the ultimate team player. And when he’s out on the mound, he’s the ultimate ace.” –Mickey Callaway [MLB]

While his teammates haven’t exactly helped deGrom win more games this year, it wasn’t for lack of effort.

”I was sweating in that moment. You just want, obviously, to help anybody on your team, but especially him with the year he’s had. As a team, we do put more pressure on ourselves when we get in those situations. To be able to come through, it was awesome.” –Dom Smith [MLB]

”I’m just trying to make all the plays I can for [deGrom].” –Jeff McNeil [MLB]

Hopefully all voters feel this way and not just Joe Posnanski.

“Not even remotely [do I look at a pitcher’s Wins]. It’s just not in their control. I think there’s an important distinction between the fact that wins matter to pitchers and even fans — they do! — and how they should matter when evaluating their performance. We have so many better ways now to determine how good a pitcher is at his job, which is giving his team the best chance to win by preventing runs.” –Cy Young Voter [New York Post]

Minutes after Brandon Nimmo was drafted, he received a phone call from David Wright.

“He said he was looking forward to us playing together and helping out the team and winning a World Series together. That was something special for me on that day.” –Brandon Nimmo [New York Post]

Such a bummer that David Wright played his entire career as a Mets and there is not a lot of players on the Mets current roster that have actually played a game with him.

“It’s special for us, the few guys that have played with him, because there is not a lot. Even for the guys who haven’t, everybody knows his impact and just what he’s done in this game and what he’s given to the game. It’s important for us to give him the send-off he deserves.” –Michael Conforto [New York Post]

Ron Darling, the GM, would be a disaster.

“I would be disingenuous if I didn’t say that if someone wants to sit down with me and talk about putting a team together I would absolutely take that meeting.” –Ron Darling [New York Daily News]

“I know a lot of things would have to change with my family to take that task on, but everyone who loves the game wants a chance to put a team together, and I’m no different. I would prefer that to managing a team. The day-to-day stuff (involved in managing) would not be my favorite. But the behind the scenes stuff… I would be more qualified for those personal relationships away from the field.” –Ron Darling [New York Daily News]

While GKR can be a little ‘Old Man Yells at Clouds’ at times, Mets baseball wouldn’t be the same without them in the booth and I hope they want to work for many years to come.

“We had two hours together and talked about everything from our kids to this and that. I don’t know if it was Gary or me who brought (leaving the Mets booth) up, but he said we don’t know how it’s going to go but it might make sense for all of us to leave at the same time. I don’t know what that means. I don’t know how long Keith wants to work. I don’t know how long I want to work and Gary the same. But it would be a pretty cool way to go if we could somehow figure that out” –Ron Darling [New York Daily News]

Concurrently, I fully recommend the New York Times profile on GKR and present this quote without context.

“I stuck my foot in a lawn mower when I was a kid. I almost ripped the tendon up my leg. Would’ve ruined me for life. No Mets! Imagine it, Gar — no Mets!” –Keith Hernandez [New York Times]

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