No ‘pub’ no prob with Happ
JAYS’ NO- FRILLS LEFTY
J. A. Happ’s season last year was sort of like a secret bombing run. The left- hander flew under the radar.
Happ went 20- 4 — only the sixth Toronto pitcher ever to reach the 20- win milestone and first since Roy Halladay in 2008 — and landed in the American League top 10 in a number of pitching categories, including ERA ( 3.18), wins ( 2nd), win- loss percentage . 833, and hits per nine innings ( 7.75). He also pitched a career-high 195 innings.
But somehow — possibly because of his understated demeanour — Happ didn’t seem to get quite the same recognition of some of his contemporaries. He put together one of the quietest 20- game win campaigns in history, with guys like Rick Porcello, Chris Sale, Corey Kluber and Justin Verlander getting more publicity and recognition. Happ acknowledged as much, but with a shrug.
“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “I don’t care. I’m not a guy that needs a lot of pub. It’s just kind of what it is. That’s kind of maybe how it’s always been with me, which is fine. We have some highprofile guys on this team so it’s certainly understandable that a lot of the attention goes elsewhere and that actually probably works better for me, anyway.”
When you play on a club that includes Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista and ( last year) Edwin Encarnacion, you might get a little overlooked. As well, the Jays’ rotation last year wasn’t exactly picked for great things. There were question marks everywhere in spring training, including who the fifth starter would be. But the Jays’ starting five put together the best performance in the AL and are hoping for more of the same, starting with their quiet man Happ, who is perfectly happy to go about his business and remain in the background.
“Yeah, I don’t need ( publicity) to be motivated or anything like that,” he said inside the Florida Auto Exchange Stadium clubhouse on Tuesday. “When it’s there it can be nice. When it’s positive. But I’ve had the negative too so I realize how it goes.”
T he 34-year-old has certainly had his ups and downs during his 10- year Major League career. There were times when his ERA jumped, when he was sent to the minors, when he survived a scary line drive to the head in 2013 off the bat of Tampa outfielder Desmond Jennings, when he played for Houston Astros teams that lost more than 100 games twice while he was there. But Happ always knew that he had the stuff to become a premier pitcher and it was just a matter of finding the right formula.
“I talked to (Jays pitching coach) Pete Walker the last time I was here ( in Toronto) and said that I thought the capability was always there. I’d say, ‘ Watch these other guys. Their stuff ’s not that much different. I just need to execute in order to get to this level.’ And I was able to make a few adjustments, physically and mentally, and hopefully I can stay here for a while.”
The book on Happ was that he found his best form after he was traded from Seattle to Pittsburgh in July 2015, where he posted a 7—2 record, 1.85 ERA, and 69 strikeouts in 11 starts for the Pirates. But Happ said his form started coming around after his first tour of duty with the Jays in 2014 though he also had some good years early in his career in Philadelphia.
“I used to think maybe my stuff has to be better. I have to be so consistent and so perfect. But that wasn’t the case,” said the Illinois native. “It was kind about fine-tuning some things and competing, and the mental edge as well. That’s easier said than done, especially when things aren’t going well. It’s kind of a constant battle.”
Happ certainly had the battle won for the most part last season and the goal is to keep it going. In the offseason he bought a place in nearby Clearwater and Happ spent much of the time working out at the Jays complex in Dunedin.
“The focus is still there,” said Happ. “With the wins or whatever, they’re going to come and go. My goal is not to win 20 unless I start getting close.
“Really, the goal is just to be dependable. That’s what I was fighting a lot in my career, trying to be more consistent, more dependable. It’s the hardest thing in baseball, to be consistent. I’m going to try to repeat that consistency part this season.”
Happ is certainly not an i n- your- f ace person, but he does want to take more of a leadership role in the clubhouse this season, especially with the younger pitchers.
“I think I’m getting a little bit more to that point in my career,” he said. “I certainly try to talk to some of the other younger guys — Stroman and Sanchez — and try to help them.
“They’ve got a great work ethic, great confidence, but I just try to let them know I’ ve gone through quite a bit in this game, ups and downs, and hopefully they feel like I’m someone they can lean on.”