JAKE LIVELY
Fireballing deGrom looking like ace again
Jacob deGrom brought the heat Tuesday in West Palm Beach. The Mets right-hander struck out six Astros in four innings, hitting 97 mph on the radar gun to continue his blazing spring as he gives the Mets hope he will return to his ace status of 2015.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Yes, it’s Back to the Future for Jacob deGrom. The way this is going, the Mets have at least a pair of aces in 2017 in deGrom and Noah Syndergaard.
For deGrom it feels a bit like his All-Star season of 2015.
DeGrom continued his masterful pitching Tuesday, allowing one run in four innings against the Astros, the only run a home run off a 3-1 fastball by Brian McCann. DeGrom struck out six over the first three innings with a fastball that reached 97 mph and extended his spring shutout streak to nine innings before the former Yankee ambushed a fastball onto the right-field walkway at the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.
Because of his arm issues last season, deGrom had to become more of a pitcher and rely less on his stuff, which wasn’t as electric in 2016 as it was in 2015.
He’s back where he wants to be physically, and whenever he wants to check his mechanics, deGrom goes back to video of the May 21, 2015, start against the Cardinals when he allowed one hit over eight shutout innings and struck out 11 in a 5-0 victory — 104 pitches of near perfection.
“It feels good,’’ said deGrom, who in 10 innings of work this spring has struck out 13 and walked one. “It was rough [last year]. I’m happy to be healthy so far this year.’’
As soon as he arrived in camp, deGrom felt it was much different than last season when he had to undergo surgery to reposition the ulnar nerve in his right arm on Sept. 21.
“Right when I got here it felt like things were coming out better than what they had been,’’ he said. “I felt more under control. I don’t have that big spin-off like I did last year.
“After you have surgery you are curious as to what you are going to be able to do. Last year was a big learning point for me not having my best stuff and having to locate and having a good game plan and to stick to it.
“Kind of read swings from guys and what they are not hitting versus what they are,’’ deGrom noted, a page directly from the Greg Maddux School of Pitching. “It will end up helping me in the long run. Looking at the video from ’15 almost every day I went there I felt good, watching how smooth I was compared to what last year looked like, that was my main thing in the throwing program this offseason was to get back to that.’’
He was never smoother than that game in May 2015 against the Cardinals.
“Not having my best stuff a lot of the time last year, kind of taught me how to get outs without having my best stuff,’’ deGrom said.
“If those five guys are healthy we’re going to be pretty good,’’ Terry Collins said of his starting rotation after the Mets’ 2-1 win over the Astros.
“Right now they are all healthy,’’ Collins said of his starters. “They got great stuff and they can take over a game. I hope it’s like [2015] for Jake because he was pretty good.’’
No one can give a better read of deGrom in the Mets clubhouse than Jay Bruce. He faced him with the Reds and on Tuesday he was at first base, a perfect view of deGrom’s 97-on-theblack fastball and back-door sinkers.
“Jake is very in control, he knows exactly what he wants to do,’’ Bruce said. “He does it, he knows he’s going to do it and even when he doesn’t do it, he knows he’s going to do it the next time. The confidence, and like, kind of the stoicism out there is very important for a pitcher. It’s fun to watch when you are on defense, not fun to be up there hitting.’’
Said catcher Kevin Plawecki of what it’s like to catch a healthy deGrom: “It’s just like a video game with him, it is like 2015, his command, the life on his pitches. His ability to spot up with anything is pretty unbelievable.’’
A video game just like that AllStar season, MLB 2015: The Show. kevin.kernan@nypost.com