Goal for Syndergaard? Be more like Bartolo

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Of all the things Noah Syndergaard hopes to accomplish this spring, the strangest might be becoming more "Bartolo-esque."
Always an outspoken fan of former teammate Bartolo Colon, Syndergaard said after his start Wednesday that he hopes to take a mechanical tip from his friend. Watching Colon's bullpen sessions over the past three seasons, Syndergaard said, he noticed how the veteran's landing foot barely made an indentation in the dirt -- a byproduct of clean, straightforward mechanics that allowed Colon to be light on his feet, despite his bulk.

That is something Syndergaard feels he struggled to do throughout his 2 1/3 scoreless innings Wednesday in an 8-7 win over the Red Sox.
"Where he would land, there would be essentially no foot mark because he would land so soft," Syndergaard said of Colon. "That's what I'm trying to get to."
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The mechanical tweak may seem small, but it hints at a larger theme for Syndergaard. Despite coming off one of the best seasons of any pitcher in baseball, going 14-9 with a 2.60 ERA, Syndergaard is spending this spring looking for things to change, things to improve.
"This guy gets it," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "He may play the Thor game, but he gets it. He knows what he's got to do."

Because he was working on portions of his delivery Wednesday, Syndergaard estimates he threw at only 85-90 percent capacity against the Red Sox. But he still hit 100 mph on multiple occasions, striking out one batter and resting comfortably at 97. With four Grapefruit League starts remaining between now and his Opening Day assignment against Colon's Braves, Syndergaard still has plenty of time to refine the details of his game.
"I don't think I've really amped it up to 100 percent yet, just because I want to be able to feel everything that's going on in my mechanics," he said. "Once I start to feel more comfortable, that's when I start ramping it up."