Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom was named National League Player of the Week on Monday.
deGrom made an impact on the mound and at the plate for the Mets in two starts last week. He hit his first career homer on Sunday and fired eight innings of one-run ball to beat the Nationals. The right-hander also pitched a complete game in a win against the Cubs on June 12.
Hoping to overcome a series of injuries, the Mets need deGrom to embrace his spot as the club's ace, and he is beginning to do so. The righty, who turned 29 on Monday, made some mechanical adjustments and went 2-0 with a 0.53 ERA, eight hits allowed, 12 strikeouts and six walks in 17 innings last week.
• All-time Player of the Week Award winners
"You've got to have that guy," Mets manager Terry Collins said on Sunday. "And right now, Jake's leading the pack to be the guy. ... He got away from who he is, and now he's back."
A shortstop in college, deGrom has always been a solid hitter for his position, and he raised his season average to .290 with his solo homer. Using David Wright's bat, deGrom went deep for the first time in the big leagues leading off the third inning on Sunday against Nationals starter Joe Ross.
"I didn't know it was gone," deGrom said of his opposite-field drive. "But that's where I seem to hit balls in batting practice, so I knew if I got it over there, it would have a chance."