The New York Mets were not one of the seven lucky teams chosen as finalists for Shohei Ohtani. But maybe they don't need Ohtani in Queens - after all, they've got Thor.
Noah Syndergaard thinks that if given the opportunity, he could be like Ohtani and play the outfield for the Mets in between his starts. And the ace believes he could pull it off without getting hurt, too.
"I think my position would probably be right field," Syndergaard told WOR 710's Pete McCarthy on Thursday. "I would love to show off the arm.
"I'd like to think I'm more athletic than most or some right fielders out there," he continued. "I feel like if I put as much work into hitting as I did pitching I think I would be alright."
Of course, it's that whole hitting thing that might be precluding Syndergaard from turning into a two-way superstar. While Ohtani once bashed 22 homers and recorded a 1.004 OPS in the same season he led all starters in his league in ERA, Syndergaard's hitting career doesn't quite match his All-Star form on the mound.
Despite being one of only eight pitchers since 2000 with a two-homer game to his name, the 25-year-old owns a paltry .200/.273/.345 career slash line with just four home runs and a wRC+ of 70. Half of his 130 plate appearances have ended in a strikeout.
But, those statistics aren't stopping Syndergaard from dreaming of someday following in Ohtani's footsteps.
"I'm really all for it, because I get bored as hell in the dugout watching baseball (between starts)," Syndergaard said. "I just wanna go out there and do something active."