How Much Harder Can a Starter Throw? Syndergaard Could Find Out

Human beings are stubborn. There is a strong belief that throwing a baseball repeatedly at high rates of speed can help lead to arm injuries, yet the average velocity of pitches in baseball keeps rising every year.

In 2008, the average four-seam fastball in Major League Baseball was 90.9 miles per hour, according to data on Fangraphs.com. How quaint that sounds now. That number jumped to 92.6 m.p.h. last season.

Which leads us to Noah Syndergaard, the Mets’ fire-throwing ace and opening day starter, who seems to be testing the limits of human velocity. Over nearly 184 innings in his All-Star 2016 season, Syndergaard’s four-seam fastball sizzled at a major-league best for starting pitchers.…