PORT ST. LUCIE — Noah Syndergaard hardly was surprised to get called into the manager’s office on Tuesday.
Though the Mets’ top pitching prospect had shown flashes of brilliance in the Grapefruit League, it was clear from the start of spring training the organization wanted him to open the season at Triple-A Las Vegas.
Syndergaard received that word from manager Terry Collins as one of nine players reassigned to minor league camp. Rafael Montero, Cory Mazzoni, Matt Clark, Juan Centeno, Ryan Reid, Joel Carreno, Miguel Socolovich and Brandon Allen also were reassigned.
The Mets likely will keep Syndergaard at Las Vegas until at least June or July in an attempt to prevent him from earning arbitration eligibility a year early.
”No matter how well I threw during spring training — if I struck out everybody, if I didn’t allow any runs — I think I was still going to go over to the minor league side, regardless,” Syndergaard said. “I know there is a business standpoint to it, and there’s other things I need to work on.”
Syndergaard said he will continue to work on a changeup to complement his 97 mph heat. His curveball was nicknamed the “hook from hell” by Collins early in camp.
“You’ve got to let those hitters know you can throw any pitch at any time and throw it for strikes,” Collins said after the Mets’ 5-4 exhibition victory over the Tigers. “With his arm, as good as it is, he can overpower some guys. But there is some situations where, put a little doubt in their heads.
“I thought he showed us a lot. He showed us — we knew the stuff was there — the poise on the mound, his demeanor in the clubhouse, his work ethic both on the field and in the weight room. There’s no doubt in my mind we’ll see him at some point [this year].”
Because Syndergaard’s innings will be capped in the 145-150 range this season, the Mets plan to have him make mostly five-inning appearances at Las Vegas. The expectation once he reaches the Mets would be seven innings each appearance.
In three exhibition appearances, Syndergaard had a 5.19 ERA, with 10 strikeouts and five walks over 8²/₃ innings.
The highlight for Syndergaard was striking out the first major league hitter he faced, the Braves’ Jason Heyward, in a Grapefruit League game this month.
What did Syndergaard learn about himself?
“Just that my stuff can play out on the field, getting hitters out, playing against guys that I watched growing up, getting them out as well,” Syndergaard said.
Matt Harvey was among the players who served as an adviser to Syndergaard throughout camp, warning the rookie not to overdo workouts in the weight room. Harvey also said he told Syndergaard from the start of camp that he should expect to begin the season in the minors. The Mets took the same approach with Harvey and Zack Wheeler the last two seasons.
“I think he did great,” Harvey said. “He went out there and did his job, and he’s a hard worker, obviously. It seemed like every day he was leaving here with a sweaty shirt, so the work ethic is not an issue. They obviously have a plan here.”
Syndergaard will join Montero, Jacob deGrom and possibly Jenrry Mejia in Las Vegas to give the Mets potentially the best rotation in the Pacific Coast League.
“We’re going to be probably one of the best rotations in baseball,” Syndergaard said. “Those names on that list, who knows where everyone is going to be?”