PORT ST. LUCIE — If he were not 6-foot-6 and did not have the Norse god nickname and he cut his hair short and kept his shirt on, Noah Syndergaard would be viewed as being five years into an impressive career.
In that time, he has been roughly the 25th-best starter in the majors, good enough to be someone’s ace in a 30-team league, no worse than a quality No. 2.
But Syndergaard is as likely to shrink from 6-foot-6 as dismiss the Thor tag and persona. He is revolting against who he was as a kid — “the exact opposite” he says during a 20-minute sit-down with The Post. He was not an Adonis, not bold in words and deeds. “I was super bashful, not wanting attention.”
So he willingly embraces the cartoonish qualities in his life, the outsized projections.
“It’s certainly a choice,” Syndergaard said. “I see it as a positive challenge. To have the moniker of Thor and expectations to live up to it.”
He will post quips and shirtless pics on social media and try not to let the trolls ruin his mood. On Saturday, while stretching and with dozens of Mets fans looking on, the team’s pitchers went topless to playfully mock Syndergaard, who for this occasion was in full workout attire.
“I’m thrilled that the joke was on me,” Syndergaard said.
But the pressure is on Syndergaard, too. Can he travel from expectation to accomplishment? From No. 2 starter to one of the aces of the sport? To be the full Thor?
On that subject, I showed Syndergaard two sets of numbers for starting pitchers for the five seasons from ages 22-26 and how similar they were. Pitcher A in this sample had a greater Wins Above Replacement (14.1 to 11.3) despite 66 ¹/₃ fewer innings. Syndergaard knew he was Pitcher A with a 3.31 career ERA and 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings. He also identified Pitcher B, who had a 3.50 ERA and 8.4 strikeouts per nine innings. It was the Pittsburgh version of Gerrit Cole. The one before he was traded to Houston. The one before the Astros turned the No. 1 pick in the 2011 draft into the No. 1 starter in the majors.
“As far as my numbers compared to Cole up until this point of my career, he had quite the payday this past offseason,” Syndergaard said. “I still have these two years until I am in his scenario [as a free agent]. His numbers were ridiculous [the past two years]. I would love to follow in his footsteps.”
If you are wondering why so many teams are interested every time the Mets hint at trading Syndergaard and why they ultimately have retained him to this point, this is it: Because if he doesn’t improve an iota, he is that No. 2 starter. But what if he fully harnesses the stuff and learns how to deploy it to its best advantage, like Cole did in his two seasons with Houston before taking a pitching record nine-year, $324 million deal with the Yankees?
Like Cole, Syndergaard has immense skill. This is not trying to find a better gear for Chris Flexen. New pitching coach Jeremy Hefner gushed about 94 mph sliders and high-90 fastballs with movement and an above-average curve and changeup and said, “He wants to be a Cy Young award winner and a World Series champ and an All-Star. And he should. He has the talent for all of that. Now, it is our job to help him realize it.”
In this hunt for his best self, Syndergaard makes it sound like his greatest enemy is not the Nationals or Braves, but also is 6-foot-6 with the nickname Thor and stares back at him from a mirror.