Jays give Rowley marching orders
Will be first West Point grad to pitch in major leagues
Double-A bullpen. Double-A rotation. Triple-A bullpen. Triple-A rotation.
Blue Jays starter Chris Rowley has had a busy summer, building up to his major-league debut on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. But that’s nothing compared to the journey the scruffy-faced 26-year-old had already taken.
Rowley will become the first graduate of the West Point military academy to pitch in the majors, and Toronto’s 12th starter of the season. Little more than a year ago, he was clean cut and on active duty.
“I’m still technically in the United States army. I’m just in what’s called the individual ready reserve,” he said before Friday night’s series opener at the Rogers Centre. “I don’t have a unit, which is why I have the beard and the hair.”
Every graduate of West Point in New York state is required to serve five years in the military after graduation. Rowley joined in 2013, his time in the army largely spent in America with a stint to Bulgaria. He was officially granted early release in January of 2016. America’s pastime was calling. While he understands the irony of an American military member making his debut with MLB’s only Canadian club, Rowley also sees similarities.
“There’s a huge sense of nationalism that goes into both of the professions that I’ve been in.”
Rowley started the season with the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats, allowing 10 runs in 52 innings. Bumped up to Triple-A Buffalo, he recorded a tidy 2.82 ERA over six starts.
Rowley is the latest in a string of pitchers to earn a tryout for the fifth spot in the Jays rotation, with Francisco Liriano traded away to Houston and Aaron Sanchez still on the disabled list. The others have been hit and miss:
Mike Bolsinger, designated for assignment last Saturday before clearing waivers and rejoining the Triple-A Bisons on Friday, starting five games in May with a 5.61 ERA. His best outing came two months later in extra innings against the Red Sox. The 29-year-old pitched 31⁄ innings,
3 eventually allowing the winning run in the 15th but striking out six along the way. He wound up on the DL the next day, but is back to full strength and could earn another shot this season.
Cesar Valdez, 32, made a magical start against the Oakland A’s on July 25, notching his second big-league win seven years after his first. Valdez allowed just one run on five hits over six-plus innings, quickly endearing himself to his manager and fans. His next two outings, though, were not as efficient. His ERA climbed from 4.97 to 7.63. He was placed on the 10-day DL on Tuesday with a right shoulder injury, clouding his outlook for the rest of 2017.
Nick Tepesch made his first start of the year on Wednesday against the New York Yankees — allowing five runs and eight hits over 41⁄ frames.
3 Manager John Gibbons stressed some positives after the game, and noted Tepesch hadn’t thrown more than 70 pitches in a game this year before racking up 81 against the Yankees. Tepesch also has prior MLB experience, 45 games mostly with the Texas Rangers.
Rowley has no such history, but showed no signs of nerves on the eve of his debut. He said he wasn’t worried about getting a good night’s sleep or the fact that many friends will be watching.
“It’s something that every person plays for,” he said. “Every guy at every level, that’s what we play for is to get here.
“To some extent, every person, when they get called up, it’s a tryout. I think throughout your career, every outing’s a tryout, so is it a little bit magnified because it’s in the big leagues? Absolutely. But mentally, ideally, I’d like to have that same mindset.”