Jacob deGrom certainly isn't as tall or even pitch with the same arm, but the righty has aspirations to be the next Randy Johnson.
The Mets ace talked with Jeff Passan of ESPN and made his goals clear when it comes to longevity of his career, something the Hall of Famer Johnson was able to do like no other, pitching into his age 45 season.
"I want to pitch into my 40s," deGrom told Passan.
Johnson, one of the greatest lefty starters of all time, pitched a remarkable 4,135.1 innings in his career, a mark deGrom is only a quarter of the way to reaching with his 1,183.2 career innings. But having started in the majors at just 26 years old, deGrom feels he has enough life in his arm to reach Johnson territory.
"I believe I can still compete at this level at that age," deGrom said. "To become an inner-circle Hall of Famer, I'm gonna have to play that long."
deGrom is clearly on a Hall of Fame pace despite the late start. He has posted an ERA below 2.50 in three straight seasons, and has begun 2021 with just one run allowed in 14 innings. He has two Cy Young awards to his credit, and despite a lack of run support impeding upon his win total, his Cy Young wins have proven that the weight of pitching wins is not what it used to be, and likely wouldn't get in the way of his Cooperstown case.
His two Cy Young awards are three behind Johnson's five, but the Big Unit won four of his in consecutive years, ranging from when he was 34 to when he was 38 years old.
deGrom, 33, is roughly 600 innings behind Johnson after his age 33 season, so as long as he stays healthy, he can accomplish his goal of remaining on the mound by the time he's over the hill.
If he continues to pitch at the efficiency he has had for the past four seasons and pitches into his 40s, he will unquestionably join Johnson as one of the greatest pitchers of all time.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
