2022 Mets Report Card: Max Scherzer, SP

Max Scherzer

Player Data: Age: 38 (7/27/1984), B/T: R/R

Traditional Stats: 23 GS, 11-5, 145 1/3 IP, 2.29 ERA, 0.908 WHIP, 173 SO, 24 BB
Advanced Stats: 169 ERA+, 2.62 FIP, 10.7 SO/9, 30.6 SO%, 4.3 BB%, 5.3 bWAR

2022 Contract: $43 million (player opt-out after the 2023 season)

Grade: B+

2022 Review

Max Scherzer came into the 2022 season with high expectations after receiving the highest average annual contract in MLB history. Those expectations skyrocketed as well after Jacob deGrom started the season on the injured list.

In the first two months of the season, Scherzer met the expectations many Mets fans had for him. In his first eight starts, Scherzer held batters to a slash line of .203/.264./.299/.564 and recorded a 2.54 ERA. However, Scherzer’s season came to a grinding halt when he injured his left oblique in a start against the Cardinals in May.

Scherzer returned to the Mets on July 5 and started against the Reds after spending 47 days on the IL. He was brilliant in his first start back and struck out 11 batters over six scoreless innings.

The start against the Reds foreshadowed the next two months for Scherzer. In the 11 starts that followed, he struck out 10.4 batters per nine and recorded a 2.25 ERA over 72 innings. During that stretch, Scherzer also hit a career milestone. In his start against the Yankees on August 22, he recorded his 3,155th strikeout and passed Pedro Martínez for 13th on the all-time strikeout leader board.

After holding down the Mets number one spot for July and August, Scherzer, unfortunately, re-injured his left side in September. While he was on the IL for only 15 days, the Mets were swept by the Cubs and lost ground to the Braves in the NL East. However, when he came back, he dramatically hit another milestone. Against the Brewers on September 19, Scherzer won his 200th game and struck out nine batters over six perfect innings. The start also clinched the first playoff appearance for the Mets since 2016.

While Scherzer was one of the best starters over 23 starts for the Mets in 2022, his season unfortunately was defined by two disastrous starts. With the division on the line, Scherzer allowed four earned runs over 5 1/3 innings in a 4-2 loss against the Braves on October 1. Then, in game one of the NL Wild Card Series against the Padres, Scherzer again came up lame again. He allowed four home runs and seven earned runs over 4 2/3 innings as the Mets eventually lost the game and the series against the Padres. It was the worst postseason start of his career.

Despite two crucial losses, Scherzer was as advertised for most of 2022. He finished the season with an 11-5 record, 2.29 ERA, and 169 ERA+. He also struck out 30.6% of the batters he faced and held the opposition to a .564 OPS. Amongst NL starters in 2022, he finished with the third-best ERA and ERA+, third-best SO/9, and fifth-best bWAR despite missing two months.

2023 Outlook

Scherzer is the most important starter going into the 2023 season. He finished third amongst Mets in bWAR and had the highest ERA+ amongst Mets’ starters. As of November 6, deGrom, Taijuan Walker, and (reportedly) Chris Bassitt are all heading toward free agency and will need to be re-signed or replaced. Luckily for the Mets, Scherzer is locked up for 2023 and does not have an opt-out until after that season.

Scherzer will also look to improve his health going into 2023. He failed to reach 170 innings for the first time since 2009 and admitted that the oblique injury caused arm fatigue down the stretch in the Mets pennant race.

The Mets will desperately rely on Scherzer next season for his on and off-field performances. He was on track to compete for the NL Cy Young before his injury and held down the Mets’ number-one spot until deGrom came back. Scherzer also was instrumental in changing the culture in the Mets locker room and brought accountability to an organization that lacked it. In an off-season that has a lot of question marks, Scherzer enters 2023 as the biggest exclamation point for the Mets.

The post 2022 Mets Report Card: Max Scherzer, SP first appeared on Metsmerized Online.