X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Noah Syndergaard to Angels - Fantasy Reaction

Starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Angels ahead of the 2022 MLB season. What is the fantasy baseball impact of this move and what is his outlook?

It seems like a lifetime ago that baseball fans were watching in awe as Noah Syndergaard broke into the league with his huge frame, his long flowing hair, and his triple-digit velocity. Thor, as he came to be known, seemed like a guy that would be one of the league's best starting pitchers on a yearly basis.

Over his first two seasons, he piled up 326 innings and posted sparkling numbers with a 3.34 ERA in his rookie year and a 2.60 mark in his second year, while going above a 27% strikeout rate and staying below a 6% walk rate in both campaigns.

Here are full statistics for his career thus far:

You can see just how good Syndergaard was prior to the 2019 season. He had the 2017 season decimated by injury, and a handful of potential starts missed in 2018, but he was nothing short of excellent when on the hill. The 2019 season was a success in terms of health, making 32 starts for the Mets, but the results weren't that good with a 4.28 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP while seeing his strikeout rate stay below 25%. That left fantasy managers not knowing what to do with him heading into the 2020 season.

Those decisions were quickly made for us, as he required Tommy John surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in May of 2020. That erased his 2020 season, but there was hope that he would be able to get back in time to pitch half a season or so in 2021. That did not turn out to be the case, as multiple setbacks related to the same elbow limited him to just two innings very late in the year for the Mets.

We received an early offseason reminder about Syndergaard as he signed with a new team - the Los Angeles Angels on November 16th. He received a one-year, $21 million "show me" deal, which is a pricey but very interesting add for an Angels team that has no shortage of bats but has been miserable on the mound over the last few years. Now the challenge falls to us to figure out what to do with Syndergaard in terms of the fantasy game for next season.

 

Two Innings

Needless to say, it's very tough to project much of anything for Syndergaard's 2022 season. I can say that it's a huge plus for Syndergaard that he was able to return to the Major Leagues in 2021, even if it was just for one outing and 26 pitches. Since it's all we have, let's take a look at those 26 pitches.

In his one outing in 2021, Syndergaard threw 11 changeups, nine four-seamers, and six sinkers. Notably, he did not throw the slider that he threw 15% of the time way back in 2019. This may have been nothing, but it may just have been part of the Mets getting him over the hump to the offseason where he could rest the arm a bit more. The slider is the harshest on your elbow, especially with the velocity that Syndergaard throws the ball with (we saw Thor throwing his slider in the low-90s in spring training in 2021).

In that sole September outing, Syndergaard averaged 94.3 with the four-seamer and 95.0 with the sinker, and topped out at 96.2 and 96.1 respectively. Those numbers are about three miles per hour less than his averages from the 2019 season. That would be pretty alarming if we were talking about more than a 26-pitch sample, but we're not. The most likely explanation is that Syndergaard was not maxing out his arm, because well - why would he?

So there's nothing serious we can learn from his 2021 season besides the fact that the Mets felt him healthy enough to make a Major League appearance again. And I think that's more than enough to inspire enough confidence for 2022 that we're talking about him as a top-50 starting pitcher again.

 

The Risk

The biggest risk with drafting Syndergaard, of course, is that the elbow is no longer one that can handle the life of a professional baseball pitcher. At this point, there's no way to say with certainty that he'll be able to put 150+ innings on the elbow again. The secondary risk is just other random injuries that seem to be common with Syndergaard. Different people have different opinions on the "injury-prone" thing, and I'm not here to make a judgment on all of that business - but the odds of Syndergaard going 150 innings in 2022 have to be in the bottom five percentile amongst pitchers you may consider drafting next year. That doesn't mean it's impossible or even super unlikely, but it's a large amount of risk to take on.

That's not the end of the risk either, unfortunately. A tertiary risk is that he stays healthy but just isn't very good. We can't forget that the last time we saw Syndergaard, he was far from a great fantasy pitcher. He did post a nice 48% ground-ball rate in 2019 thanks to heavy sinker usage, but he really wasn't generating strikeouts as we saw earlier. His 12.6% swinging-strike rate was solid, but not what we had come to expect from Syndergaard.

 

The Reward

Nobody is going to be excited to draft Syndergaard this year. Heck, nobody was real excited to draft him even before the Tommy John surgery. Now after two missed seasons and a move to the American League, there's no way this guy is going to be drafted inside the top 100 of drafts - at least early on. He will be one of the most important guys to watch in Spring Training, as we confirm his velocity is back and see if he's still using the slider and all that other over-analyzing that we tend to do.

For early drafts, Syndergaard is sure to go very, very late in drafts. A draft price being outside of the top 150 takes away a lot of the risks by itself, by that time you've already built the bulk of your pitching staff and you can afford to throw some darts. The upside here is that Syndergaard throws 170 innings and piles up really strong ratios and a fair amount of strikeouts. I have my doubts that he can ever be a 30% strikeout rate guy again, but he's shown the ability to get ground-balls while majorly limiting walks, which are two extremely important components to posting a strong ERA.

The other important part of this story is how successful we have seen Tommy John surgery become in terms of pitchers having long, successful careers after going under the knife. In recent years, we have seen players like Lance McCullers, Shohei Ohtani, and Jordan Montgomery undergo Tommy John surgery and then complete full seasons on the mound with success. We have also seen some less encouraging examples like Dinelson Lamet, Brent Honeywell, Taijuan Walker, and Luis Severino who have yet to prove they can handle anything close to a full innings load since their surgeries. That said, there are more than enough positive examples to not be overly concerned about a pitcher's future after they have this procedure.

One final reason for optimism is the contract. While the "contract year" stuff is often overstated, it does make a difference in this case. Syndergaard is in a place where he really has to show the league he's healthy and still good in order to earn a new big contract. The one-year deal with the Angels absolutely puts at least a little bit more incentive for him to throw a significant amount of innings and post strong numbers. It also gives the Angels less incentive to go easy on him, unless they already have an extension in mind for him if things go well - which is perfectly possible, this is not a team with a shortage of money to spend on their pitching needs.

 

Conclusion

It's all about health with Syndergaard. The fact that he worked his way back up to the Majors in 2021 is a great sign, and it's also encouraging that the Angels felt good enough to sign him this early on in the offseason. Nobody knows what the future will hold for Syndergaard, but in my eyes there are more positive indicators here than negative. This isn't to say I want to be trusting Thor as a top-three starter on my fantasy teams next year, but I do think the ADP will lend itself to the sharper fantasy players being more on the buying side.

The most important thing to tell fantasy managers here is to keep a close eye on him early on in Spring Training. We want to see that he still has the high-nineties velocity and that he still has confidence in his slider. If those things are looking good, and the ADP is very suppressed, Thor is a great guy to buy-low on. We will have much more on Syndergaard and the rest of the starting pitching landscape as the 2022 season approaches.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!



More Fantasy Baseball Offseason Moves




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Eugenio Suárez30 mins ago

Eugenio Suarez Hits Go-Ahead Grand Slam Tuesday
A.J. Puk38 mins ago

Earns First Save Of Season Tuesday
Michael King45 mins ago

Fans 11 In Five Shutout Innings Tuesday
Christian Yelich54 mins ago

Hits First Homer Of Season, Steals Base Tuesday
Evan Engram58 mins ago

Sean Payton Excited About Evan Engram In Joker Role
Anthony Bender60 mins ago

Earns First Save Of Season Tuesday
Robert Hassell III1 hour ago

Has Three-Hit Day At Triple-A
Thomas Harrington1 hour ago

Hit Hard In MLB Debut Tuesday
Gunnar Henderson1 hour ago

Hits Solo Homer In Triple-A Rehab Game Tuesday
Marcelo Mayer2 hours ago

Hits First Home Run At Triple-A
Caleb Williams2 hours ago

To Spend More Time Working Under Center
Tom Hoge2 hours ago

Looking To Build Off Strong Performance At The PLAYERS Championship
Zebby Matthews2 hours ago

Twirls Five Shutout Innings At Triple-A
Daniel Jones2 hours ago

Anthony Richardson, Daniel Jones To Split First-Team Reps This Offseason
Terry McLaurin2 hours ago

Commanders Interested In Extending Terry McLaurin
Rashee Rice2 hours ago

Expected To Be Ready For Training Camp
Hurston Waldrep2 hours ago

Fans Seven In Win At Triple-A
Garrett Wilson2 hours ago

Jets Plan To Get Garrett Wilson The Ball "As Much As Possible"
Keaton Mitchell2 hours ago

Ravens Have High Hopes For Keaton Mitchell
Angel Genao3 hours ago

Dealing With Shoulder Injury
Derrick Henry3 hours ago

John Harbaugh Wants Ravens To Extend Derrick Henry
Christian McCaffrey3 hours ago

Is Healthy
Clarke Schmidt3 hours ago

To Return April 15 Or 16
Shane Baz3 hours ago

Strikes Out 10
Mike Tauchman4 hours ago

Begins Rehab Assignment
Wyatt Langford4 hours ago

Launches Another Homer
Nathan Eovaldi4 hours ago

Throws Complete Game Shutout
Michael Petersen4 hours ago

Traded To Atlanta
Matt Fitzpatrick4 hours ago

Looking For Consistency At Valero Texas Open
Corey Conners5 hours ago

Continues Strong Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Patrick Cantlay5 hours ago

Eyeing Victory At Valero Texas Open
Reynaldo López5 hours ago

Reynaldo Lopez To Undergo Right-Shoulder Surgery
Gary Woodland5 hours ago

Showing Great Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Akshay Bhatia5 hours ago

Aiming For Repeat At Valero Texas Open
Alejandro Tosti5 hours ago

A Volatile Choice At TPC San Antonio
NFL5 hours ago

Tush Push Unlikely To Be Banned For 2025 Season
Xavier Legette5 hours ago

Dave Canales Compares Xavier Legette To DK Metcalf
Brett de Geus6 hours ago

Phillies Claim Brett de Geus Off Waivers From Marlins
New York Giants6 hours ago

Ty Summers Re-Signs With New York
Nick Mears6 hours ago

Beginning Rehab Assignment At Triple-A
Sam Ehlinger6 hours ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Denver
Guerschon Yabusele6 hours ago

Out Against Knicks
Karl-Anthony Towns6 hours ago

Sits Out Tuesday's Game
Arizona Cardinals6 hours ago

Calais Campbell Returns To Arizona
Jevon Carter6 hours ago

Ruled Out Tuesday
Dalen Terry6 hours ago

Unavailable Against Raptors
Julian Phillips7 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Jalen Smith7 hours ago

Available Against Raptors
Lonzo Ball7 hours ago

Still Out On Tuesday
Kevin Huerter7 hours ago

Cleared For Tuesday's Matchup
Josh Giddey7 hours ago

Will Play On Tuesday
Dalano Banton7 hours ago

Starting Against The Hawks
Royce O'Neale7 hours ago

Unavailable Against Bucks
Jerami Grant7 hours ago

Out Again On Tuesday
Bradley Beal7 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Ron Holland II7 hours ago

Tagged With A One-Game Suspension Tuesday
Anfernee Simons7 hours ago

Ruled Out Versus The Hawks
Trae Young7 hours ago

Officially Available Tuesday
Marcus Sasser7 hours ago

Suspended For One Game On Tuesday
Giannis Antetokounmpo7 hours ago

Will Play On Tuesday
Jimmy Snuggerud8 hours ago

Ready For NHL Debut Tuesday
Isaiah Stewart8 hours ago

Suspended For Two Games On Tuesday
Jacob Trouba8 hours ago

Set To Rejoin Ducks Lineup Tuesday
Jonathan Kuminga8 hours ago

Ruled Out On Tuesday
Troy Terry8 hours ago

On Track To Play Tuesday
Jaylen Brown8 hours ago

Questionable Versus Miami
Jonathan Marchessault8 hours ago

Remains Out Against Blue Jackets
Alex Laferriere8 hours ago

Expected To Return On Tuesday
Luke Schenn8 hours ago

A Game-Time Decision Tuesday
Dante Fabbro8 hours ago

Returns Against Predators
Detroit Lions10 hours ago

Alim McNeill Could Miss Start Of Regular Season
Tennessee Titans11 hours ago

Justin Hardee Sr. Returning To Titans
Washington Commanders11 hours ago

Brandon Coleman Moving To Right Tackle For Commanders
Raheem Blackshear11 hours ago

Returning To Carolina
Kirk Cousins11 hours ago

Not Expected To Attend Voluntary Offseason Training
NFL11 hours ago

NFL Ownership Votes To Move Kickoff Touchbacks To 35-Yard Line
Olli Määttä11 hours ago

Olli Maatta A Game-Time Call On Tuesday
Jordan Greenway12 hours ago

Remains Sidelined On Tuesday
Dallas Cowboys12 hours ago

Cowboys Willing To Make Micah Parsons The Highest-Paid Non-QB
Jordan Staal12 hours ago

Doubtful For Wednesday
Matt Roy12 hours ago

Not Traveling With Team
Josh Norris12 hours ago

Not Traveling With The Team On Tuesday
Brady Tkachuk12 hours ago

Not Playing On Tuesday
Jordan Spieth14 hours ago

Needs To Find Consistency At TPC San Antonio
Jake Knapp14 hours ago

Making First Appearance At Valero Texas Open
Michael Kim14 hours ago

Looking To Find The Magic Again In San Antonio
Tommy Fleetwood14 hours ago

Is Nearly A Must-Play At Valero Texas Open
Tony Finau15 hours ago

Hoping For Better Approach Play In San Antonio
Eric Cole15 hours ago

Trending In Right Direction Ahead Of Valero
Casey DeSmith18 hours ago

Sharp In Monday's Victory
Mason Marchment18 hours ago

Tallies Two Helpers On Monday
Adam Klapka19 hours ago

Tallies Two Points In Shootout Victory
Ivan Fedotov19 hours ago

Sharp Against Nashville
Matvei Michkov19 hours ago

Continues Hot Stretch On Monday
Luke Hughes19 hours ago

Scores Goal, Adds Assist In Victory
Sam Stevens1 day ago

Enjoys Nice Result In Houston
PGA1 day ago

J.T. Poston Seeks To Contend At Valero Texas Open
Denny McCarthy1 day ago

Keeps Making Cuts But Needs To Make More Putts
Brian Harman1 day ago

Off To A Subpar 2025 So Far
Ilya Samsonov1 day ago

Nursing An Upper-Body Injury
Tomas Hertl1 day ago

To Sit Out At Least One More Week
Ryan Preece1 day ago

Has Three Straight Top-10 Finishes For First Time In His Career
NASCAR1 day ago

Bubba Wallace After Third-Place Finish At Martinsville: "What a Great Day"
Todd Gilliland1 day ago

Has Mistake-Free Day At Martinsville, Grabs Another Top-10 Finish
Brandon Moreno1 day ago

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Steve Erceg1 day ago

Losses Third Consecutive Fight
Drew Dober1 day ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres1 day ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Harry Hall1 day ago

Bounces Back In Houston Last Week
CJ Vergara1 day ago

Gets Submitted
Ryan Fox1 day ago

Showing Improvement Heading Into The Valero Texas Open
Édgar Cháirez1 day ago

Edgar Chairez Gets Submission Win At UFC Mexico City
Vince Morales1 day ago

Drops Decision At UFC Mexico City
Raul Rosas Jr.1 day ago

Gets Decision Win At UFC Mexico City
Saimon Oliveira1 day ago

Still Winless In The UFC
David Martinez1 day ago

Wins His UFC Debut
Kevin Borjas1 day ago

Earns His First UFC Win
Ronaldo Rodríguez1 day ago

Ronaldo Rodriguez Suffers His First UFC Loss
Joel Dahmen1 day ago

Scores Top-20 Finish At Texas Children's Houston Open
Jacob Bridgeman1 day ago

Had Some Rest Heading Into The Valero
Christopher Bell2 days ago

Powers His Way To A Second-Place Finish At Martinsville
Chase Elliott2 days ago

Strong Martinsville Performance Ends With A Top-Five Finish
Kyle Larson2 days ago

Collects A Top-Five Finish At Martinsville
William Byron2 days ago

Places 22nd After Struggles At Martinsville
Joey Logano2 days ago

Claims His First 2025 Top-10 Finish After Up-And-Down Performance
Tyler Reddick2 days ago

Fails To Place In The Top 10 At Martinsville
Denny Hamlin2 days ago

Silences Doubters After Crew-Chief Change
Ty Gibbs2 days ago

Earns Best 2025 Finish At Martinsville Despite Failing Cool Suit
Ross Chastain2 days ago

Has A Great Day At Martinsville
Chase Briscoe2 days ago

Has Solid Run At Martinsville
Erik Jones2 days ago

Disqualified At Martinsville For Weight Violation
Josh Berry3 days ago

Has Top-10 Upside At Martinsville
Joey Logano3 days ago

Don't Overlook Joey Logano This Weekend
Ryan Preece3 days ago

Could Get First Three-Race Top-10 Streak Of His Career
Chase Elliott3 days ago

Looking To Continue Great Runs At Martinsville
Christopher Bell3 days ago

Wins Pole At Martinsville, But Can He Stay Up There?
Ryan Blaney3 days ago

Fast In Practice But Skeptical About Car
Denny Hamlin3 days ago

New Crew Chief Has Terrible Martinsville Record
Steve Erceg5 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Brandon Moreno5 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres5 days ago

Set For Co-Main Event
Drew Dober5 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Mexico City
Joe Pyfer5 days ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Kelvin Gastelum5 days ago

Set For Middleweight Matchup
Vince Morales5 days ago

In Dire Need Of Victory
Raul Rosas Jr.5 days ago

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Saimon Oliveira5 days ago

Looks For His First UFC Win
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF