Grilli, 40, feels half his age
DUNEDIN, Fla. — Blue Jays relief pitcher Jason Grilli pretended to get angry when asked this week if he was tired at the end of last season.
“Why does everybody keep asking me if I was tired?” said Grilli. “That guy over there asked me if I was tired.”
A big league player since 2000, Grilli gets asked if he is tired because he turned 40 in November. On top of that, manager John Gibbons has suggested that he’ll have to keep his eye on the veteran RHP this season to make sure he doesn’t get overly fatigued — the same for the other vets on the club including catcher Russell Martin,outfielder Jose Bautista and short stop Troy Tulowitzki.
But the truth is, Grilli fully understands that he isn’t a pup anymore even though he said he still feels like one. He’s a bit of a freak. In 2008, his fastball averaged 92.3 MPH. In 2016 it was exactly the same, though he did appear tired and struggled at times in September last season after being lights out in July and August. He was excellent in the playoffs though where he made five appearances, allowing one hit in 32/3 innings. In 42 regular season innings with the Blue Jays, Grilli posted a 6-4 record with a 3.64 ERA and 58 strikeouts. On Nov. 5, the Jays picked up Grilli’s $3-million option for the 2017 season.
“I feel just as fine as I did when I was 20, man,” said the Royal Oak, Mich., native. “And I’m still here right? The best compliment I got is people can’t believe I’m 40 years old. So you can’t be too tired of that can you?
“I got great genes,” the personable pitcher added. “I’m Italian, a lot of olive oil running through the veins. There’s a lot of fight in me. Hey, if Bartolo Colon can still do it, I best keep up. He’s the model for all of us. He’s 43. You can play as long as you want, as long as you keep going out there and giving your best effort.”
Grilli, who was traded to Toronto from the Braves in May 2016, brings more to the Jays than just a live arm and a veteran presence in the bullpen. He has fast become a mentor for younger pitchers on the squad, especially the team’s closer Roberto Osuna, who kept in touch with Grilli often in the off-season. Grilli was used primarily as an eighth inning guy last season and will probably do a similar job this year, but said he’ll take the ball whenever Gibbons gives it to him.
“I’m always going to take the ball,” said Grilli, who was an all-star with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2013. “I’ve always done that since the beginning of my career. They want me to pitch the sixth inning, I’ve done that. They want me to sweep the floor, I’ll do that. I’m never tired of putting this uniform on. When you’re not at your best — and of all of us in this room can say there’s times when we’re like, ‘Yeah, working through some stuff.’ That’s when your experience and being smart comes into play.
“There’s not one player who’s not tired in September, October,” he added. “There’s not. A piano player playing concert after concert, these people on tour, are they tired? Probably. But they’re going to go out there and perform. They’re going to give the best effort that day. That’s baseball. It’s 162 games and if you’re not tired by the end, then you’re not playing 162.”
Grilli fully expects the next reporter will ask him if he was tired last year. But he laughs about it.
“I’m not sitting there going ‘God, I can’t wait until the season’s over,’ ” he said. “Especially with where we were at. Adrenal takes over. Tired of lifting and doing that kind of stuff? Yeah. But tired of playing the game? No. Never.”