Mets’ Jacob deGrom pitches well, though his velocity is lower than last season

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The spring training experience at Disney’s Wide World of Sports includes the gratuitous use of sound effects, seemingly one for each ballfield event, however mundane. There’s shattering glass for a foul ball to the screen and the ubiquitous sad trombone for strikeouts, the final note dragged out for comedic effect.

Perhaps the Braves should have added another goofy sound to their rotation, this one a screeching siren for every time Mets righthander Jacob deGrom reached back for a fastball.

DeGrom again looked sharp, allowing two runs in 6 2⁄3 innings in a 3-3 tie with the Braves on Saturday. He again toyed with the timing of opposing hitters with the same ease and effectiveness of an afternoon in June. And deGrom’s fastball again lacked its signature velocity.

“I’m not concerned with where my velocity is at right now,” said deGrom, who struck out five, walked one and scattered three hits.

Before Saturday, deGrom’s fastball velocity consistently hovered in the range of 91 to 93 mph, turning his penultimate tuneup into a velocity watch. Against the Braves, his fourth start of spring training, deGrom ramped his fastball up to 91 to 94 mph, a slight improvement.

“We can put to rest the 91s that you guys were all worried about,” manager Terry Collins said. “I hope you’re all easy with it now. He certainly threw the ball well today. He’s right on track.”

Still, according to a talent evaluator from a rival team, deGrom’s velocity fell a tick below where it was at this time last year.

While lasting answers might not come until the regular season, the Mets for now remain insistent that deGrom’s velocity is a non-issue.

Explanations include a lack of adrenaline, which is common with Grapefruit League games, and the heat and humidity that turned Saturday afternoon into a soupy mess.

With temperatures in the 90s, deGrom admitted he felt tired after warming up in the bullpen before the game. The humidity made him sweat through his uniform, forcing an unusual wardrobe change before first pitch.

Conditions and adrenaline aside, deGrom offered perhaps the most straightforward explanation for his sagging velocity. After pitching a career-high 216 innings in 2015, the 27-year-old took his time ramping up for the following season.

“I took a little extra time off this offseason just because of how many innings I threw,” he said. “I think it’s taken me a little longer to build up arm strength.”

Radar gun readings aside, deGrom has maintained that he’s long past the leg and back issues that altered his schedule earlier in spring training. Collins noted the number of swings and misses deGrom generated with his changeup and his ability to challenge hitters inside, a sign of trust in his fastball even without peak velocity.

Pitching coach Dan Warthen said he’s spotted none of the telltale signs of a physical issue that might be sapping deGrom’s velocity. By his next start on Friday, deGrom expects to get his pitch count near 100, enough to pitch in a regular-season game.

“His extension’s fine, the spin is there,” Warthen said. “He’s pitching, and that’s what we want to do.”

Despite missing with a changeup and walking Freddie Freeman, and leaving one up in the zone that Michael Bourn laced for a triple, deGrom pronounced himself close to game-ready. And as far as consistency with mechanics and attacking the strike zone, catcher Travis d’Arnaud called deGrom’s outing his best of spring training.

Another scout noted that despite his diminished velocity, deGrom pitched well, partly with the help of a slider that was “occasionally nasty” and “unhittable.”

Indeed, despite some squeamishness from corners of the fan base, neither the Mets nor deGrom were prepared to sound alarm bells just yet.

“I feel like I’m close,” deGrom said. “I left a couple of pitches up that I wished were down. But other than that, I feel like I’ve got command of most of my pitches.”