PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — It’s called the “bowl of doom.” And if you want to hit 100 on the radar gun, you might consider trying it.
Noah Syndergaard, the Mets right-hander who throws a slider only a few ticks slower than his blistering hot fastball, came into spring training Sunday with an estimated 17 pounds of muscle that he didn’t have in October. Syndergaard, a noted fitness fanatic already, attributed his improved physique to the offseason work he put in at a Dallas-area facility called EXOS, and to the “bowl of doom.”
“I really paid attention to my diet and just eating a lot of good healthy things,” Syndergaard said. “There was this place in particular that I went to back home. It’s called Kozy Kitchen and my roommates and I probably went there like four or five times a week. My go-to is called the ‘bowl of doom.’ It’s a sweet potato hash with bacon, you can get buffalo in it or venison sausage, avocado and scrambled eggs. It’s plenty. And that’s primarily what my diet consisted of this offseason.”
Mets offseason moves
Syndergaard didn’t exactly know how much weight he had put on, saying he thought he may have lost some of it last week when he had bronchitis. But he seemed proud of the offseason work he put in and is hoping it translates on the mound.
“I always want to throw harder and just continue to make the game easier,” Syndergaard said. “I feel like last year and my rookie season, my velocity had jumped up. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to raise that bar, but hopefully it allows me to go deeper into games with more ease, but also focus on maintaining my flexibility.”
A stronger, harder-throwing Syndergaard? That’s a scary thought.
But increase velocity wasn’t his only motivation. He’s also hoping it helps make him more durable in the long run.
Syndergaard and Bartolo Colon, who is now in Atlanta, were the last men standing in 2016. Injuries took out three starters and even then, Syndergaard still pitched through a bone spur in his right elbow. It wasn’t serious enough for him to have removed, but it was serious enough for him to think about his long-term health.
“Guys with a little bit of mass are more durable throughout the season and throughout their careers,” he said.
The competitor in him wants to get better and pitcher nastier every season. But he knows he can’t do that if he doesn’t stay healthy.
“When I picked up a ball for the first time in previous offseasons, it’s felt a little funny, kind of getting back into the swing of things and trying to find my release point,” Syndergaard said. “But once I was able to pick up a ball this offseason, it was like I hadn’t taken any time off. That’a good feeling for me knowing I already feel that comfortable with my delivery.”
Abbey Mastracco may be reached at amastracco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @abbeymastracco. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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