While deGrom's season ended on a disappointing note — he gave up four runs in the fifth inning of a Game 2 loss to the Royals in the World Series — it did not detract from what was an absolutely stellar campaign for the 27-year-old. DeGrom improved upon his already excellent strikeout and walk rates, with his 22.2% K-BB% ranking seventh among all qualified starters in Major League Baseball, ahead of Jake Arrieta, Chris Archer, David Price, and teammate Matt Harvey. He gained a couple ticks on each of his four offerings, with his fastball consistently reaching the mid-90s, and was able to get more swings at pitches outside of the strike zone. The Mets took measures late in the year to limit his workload, and he acknowledged in the postseason that he was fatigued, but deGrom is now five years removed from Tommy John surgery and should be unrestricted in 2016.

This is why the prospecting game is so difficult. DeGrom was never seen as much of a prospect, especially if the list in question stopped at 10 names. His excellent 2014 shocked everyone. He never had that carrying tool or standout plus pitch, but instead was just kind of solid across-the-board. He is the embodiment of the Bill James adage that is usually applied to a team construct: if you grade average everywhere, the package winds up being very good. He has four reliable pitches (all thrown at least 10% of the time) with the fastball leading the way (61%), a slider he features against righties, a changeup that he uses against lefties and a curveball that he throws at hitters on both sides of the plate. This isn't some soft-tossing non-prospect who caught lightning in a bottle, though. He has a strong 93-95 mph fastball that yielded the third-lowest OPS-against in the league (.585) and third-highest strikeout rate (27.4%). The fact that he doesn’t overly rely on any of his four pitches for his 26.0% strikeout rate bodes well for it holding firm. Don’t pay for a repeat, especially if the hardware he won drives the price up, but he should be a very useful asset again in 2015.

DeGrom began the year at High-A St. Lucie, but ascended to Triple-A Las Vegas before the season concluded. He struck out 63 batters over 75.2 innings in Triple-A ball, finishing the season with a 4-2 record for the 51s. DeGrom throws strikes consistently, using a low-90s fastball, average breaking pitch and solid changeup. He underwent Tommy John surgery, missing all of the 2011 season, but has been a fast riser since returning to action. DeGrom was added to the 40-man roster in November to protect him from the Rule 5 draft and he will likely start the year in Las Vegas, but he could see Citi Field during the upcoming season.