Stroman flashes old form in victory
Right-hander allows just one hit in four innings against Pittsburgh
It was the third out of the second inning, a bloopy bouncer that almost skittered past first base, requiring a deft retrieval by the Jays’ Justin Smoak, then a race to the bag between pitcher Marcus Stroman and Pirates left fielder Jason Martin.
Stroman got there a smidge of a second earlier. reminding everyone what a marvellous athlete he is.
Everybody is focused on the arm, on the half-dozen pitches Stroman throws, and if he can restore himself to mound dominance after a miserable 2018 season (a 4-9 record, a careerworst 5.54 ERA).
But there’s also the other Stroman, the defender and exceptional athlete, who can run, who can field adeptly. Hell, he can hit the occasional bomb.
“Yeah, I pride myself on my defence,” the 27-year-old righthander, entering his sixth season with the Jays, told reporters in an otherwise mostly terse scrum Friday, following four tidy innings of work against Pittsburgh and his first win of the spring in his third appearance.
“I take a ton of groundballs and I do a ton of (pitcher fielding practice).”
Reminder: It was during fielding practice four years ago that Stroman wrecked his ACL, a full tear. He was supposed to miss the entire season but stunned doctors by making it back on Sept. 12, going 4-0 with a 1.67 ERA through four regular-season starts.
“I want the Gold Glove every year,” said Stroman, who won the award in 2017. “That’s kind of something that’s always in the back of my head.”
Stroman stretched himself out to four frames in Friday’s 5-2 win over Pittsburgh, one of two split-squad victories (they also beat the Pirates 11-0 in Bradenton, Fla.). He gave up just one hit, striking out three, and topping out at 49 pitches.
“Just part of the process of getting established, ready to go out there and throw six, seven, eight, innings. Like I said, my body’s extremely strong. I’m ready to rock.”
Stroman has been doing some of that rocking around the corner, out of sight, working on a hand adjustment, details kept in the vault. His body gesture suggests it relates to his comeset position.
“I’ve been working on it relentlessly, day in and day out. It’s almost there.
“There’s certain pitches in games where I kind of get out of it. But it’s mostly memory at this point. It’s getting to the point where it’s pretty consistent.”
A Stroman of old form would be an answered prayer for the franchise, whether as a longterm Jay or shorter-term trade trinket.
Meanwhile, GM Ross Atkins indicated that the team’s shape will start to emerge shortly. “I think we’ll start to see the roster a bit smaller in the coming days.”
There are plenty of battles for spots and playing time, which makes for a more intriguing than usual spring. Atkins doesn’t foresee any further personnel adjustments, at least not from outside.
“At this point, we feel as though it’s going to come from within. If an acquisition occurs, it will not be free agency, it’ll be a trade.”
Management has been particularly pleased with the pitching performances.
“We’re striking out a ton of guys,” Atkins said.
“Guys are throwing the ball over the plate. Everyone, really, has had at least one good outing and several of our young pitchers have really impressed us.”
Atkins also provided a cautionary footnote to the signing of Bud Norris, who signed a minor-league deal and was expec- ted to be slotted into the bullpen. There has been a bit of blowback over a couple of controversies: comments Norris made several years ago about non-American ballplayers; and, more recently, allegations of bullying young pitching colleagues.
“He’s got to earn his spot in every way,” Atkins said. “Not just performance but as a teammate, the way he’s treating other people, the way he’s treating (reporters), the way he’s treating our fans, that’s all a part of it. It’s a nonroster deal; we’ll have 22-some games here to play and learn more about him. What we learned in the process is that it was worthy of giving him this opportunity on a nonguarantee.”