‘Every single pitch is ready,’ Stroman says
Picture day turns into pitcher’s day as he catches up with his Jays teammates
Friday was picture day for the Blue Jays, and Marcus Stroman looked like the kid who was a little too excited about the upcoming school year. A smile is rarely far from the ebullient 24-year-old’s face, but on Friday — his first day back with the Jays since spring training — he wore a grin so wide and constant it was excessive, even by his standards.
“I’ve just been smiling all day,” he said. “It’s just been hugs and handshakes and catching up. It’s just great to see everyone.”
Stroman, once considered lost for the season after tearing his left ACL in spring training, is not yet on the active roster. But he knows he’s close. “I’m ready,” he said, adding later: “I’m in mid-season form, 100 per cent. Every single pitch is ready. My arm’s ready, my knee’s ready.” He threw 42⁄ no-hit innings for
3 Class-A Lansing on Wednesday — his first time facing live hitters since March — and is scheduled to pitch for Triple-A Buffalo on Monday in Pawtucket, which is conveniently just an hour’s drive from Boston, where the Jays will be. If that second rehab start goes well, Stroman will then rejoin the Jays.
It remains to be seen whether he will pitch out of the bullpen or in the rotation, but if he looks anywhere close to as good as he did in the second half of last season, you have to believe the Jays will make room for him as a starter.
“I’m ready to start, I would like to start,” he said. “But my most important thing is just doing everything in my power to help this team get to the playoffs and contribute.”
If you take Stroman at his word, he may come back even better than he was a year ago. He says he’s more motivated and more confident than he has ever been in his life. He also developed a changeup during his re- hab to add a sixth pitch to his already deep arsenal.
“It’s the pitch that I want the most,” he said. “It’s the pitch that I worked the hardest on. I’m looking forward to using it.”
The fact Stroman is in this position — potentially a week from making a major-league start six months from what was supposed to be seasonending surgery — is no surprise to him. He never hid his determination to pitch this season, even as the Jays cautioned that it was a long shot.
“When they said, ‘Season’s done.’ I knew my season wasn’t done,” he said.
It’s a testament to his gruelling months of rehab, which he described as “the hardest thing I hope I ever have to do” and the work of his doctors and trainers at Duke University, where he simultaneously finished the sociology degree he had put on hold after getting drafted by the Jays in 2012.
But the hard work is behind him now, and he’s ready to enjoy it. Friday was his first time meeting new teammates David Price, Troy Tulowitzki and the rest of the reinforcements the Jays added at the trade deadline.
“It’s crazy, man. I’m playing with an all-star team now,” he said. “I’m playing with my idols when I was growing up. All the guys I was playing with on Xbox and Playstation growing up, they’re on my team. It feels like a dream.”
With Price in particular, Stroman said he will watching the veteran closely. “I’m looking forward to learning as much as possible. I’ll probably bring out a paper and pen.”
Stroman said Friday he just wanted to blend in, not wanting to disrupt the team’s chemistry. But that’s just not his nature. He naturally draws — and enjoys — the spotlight, which is only going to get brighter from here.