How 2017 actually went.
The long pitching window collapsed all at once. Syndergaard tore a lat muscle, Harvey struggled, Matz and Wheeler missed time, and the rotation never approached its planned shape. Céspedes also battled injuries, leaving deGrom as the only starter capable of providing dependable excellence across the season.
Michael Conforto became an All-Star and looked ready to become the lineup’s next major hitter before suffering a severe shoulder injury on a swing. With the team far from contention, the front office traded veterans including Granderson, Bruce, Reed, and Walker. The roster that had reached the previous two postseasons was breaking apart.
Seventy wins and fourth place ended Terry Collins’s managerial run. The season showed how quickly a plan built around pitching can disappear when bodies fail together. deGrom and Conforto gave the year quality, but most nights felt like watching the 2015 dream close before it had received enough healthy chances.
The rotation that was supposed to rule baseball could barely stay in the same room at once.