CHALLENGES, SETBACKS DIDN’T STOP MERRYWEATHER
Donaldson trade that brought pitcher to the Blue Jays was full of drama
There were Blue Jays watch parties at various corners of America last week when at age 28 and with a rebuilt right elbow, Julian Merryweather finally made his major league debut.
In Virginia, his mother, Ulrike, gathered with friends to watch her son realize his dream.
“She was fully decked out in her Blue Jays gear and sending me pictures,” Merryweather said.
In San Diego, it was Merryweather’s half sister, Emily, and her four kids gathered in front of the television.
“They’re probably my biggest fans. They were all watching,” he said.
In Brooklyn, brother Derek was in the middle of his legal studies but wasn’t going to let class disrupt this.
“He was yelling at his computer in the middle of his lab watching the game.”
“It was just a very happy moment to be able to share that with all the people who helped me along the way,” Merryweather said in an interview with Postmedia. “It was awesome the amount of support they were showing. There were so many people, from friends, to coaches … all the people I’ve had in my life these last several years.”
It was two years ago this week that Merryweather joined the Jays following one of the more bizarre weeks in the club’s recent history. Dealt from Cleveland for disgruntled Josh Donaldson mere hours before the Aug. 31 trade deadline, for the next two months the California native was still in the limbo land of playerto-be-named-later status.
There was also months of recovery from Tommy John surgery he had in March 2018, and then another setback last summer.
So, in the 25 seconds or so it took Merryweather to trot in from the Jays dugout to the mound at Sahlen Field, he thought about all of it. And then he somehow managed to wipe it clear.
“I had definitely ran through the moment plenty of times over the years before I got here, what it would feel like, what it would mean to me,” Merryweather said. “As I was running out to the mound a lot of that stuff popped into my head, all the emotions and feelings of those years.
“But once I got out to the mound I was completely locked in. To finally get into a real game against real competition, it had been a long time and that was the coolest feeling.”
Locked in may have been an understatement. Merryweather’s first pitch to the Phillies’ Eric Bohm was a 97.6 mile-per-hour fastball just outside of the zone. Bohm would eventually strike out on a nasty slider, one of three punchouts Merryweather would record in his 1.1 innings of debut work.
“It was a whirlwind at first,” Merryweather said. “It was a lot to kind of take in but what I realized about the whole thing is that it’s just baseball. I’ve been trying to simplify it and not overthink anything, really.”
‘REAL DOUBTS’
As you might expect, Merryweather’s journey hasn’t been without bumps and there were plenty of times when it was impossible not to overthink things.
Though he showed promise out of high school in San Mateo, Calif., it was a slow and steady evolution that led to Cleveland — where Jays GM Ross Atkins was vice-president of player personnel and helped select him in the fifth round of the 2014 draft.
Merryweather was showing promise at triple A when his elbow blew out in spring training 2018, leading to the dreaded Tommy John surgery. The road back — split between Cleveland’s winter home in Arizona and the Jays’ Florida headquarters in Dunedin — was filled with challenges.
“Everyone has their good and bad days,” Merryweather said. “The motivation isn’t there every day, to be honest. Depending on how you feel — maybe you had a bad side or bad bullpen or the game didn’t go well or your arm all of sudden isn’t feeling strong again … those are real doubts that happen through the rehab process.”
Even when the surgery seemed well behind him, there were days of second-guessing. In 2019, Merryweather was getting some rehab action for the single-a Dunedin Blue Jays when a bad outing was deflating.
“That was the worst moment, when I was real close to coming back and maybe getting put to Buffalo for some games (with the triple-a Bisons) and my arm just wasn’t bouncing back,” Merryweather recalled. “The next week was tough.
“I wasn’t doing anything and the arm wasn’t feeling great. That was kind of a moment where I was in that self-doubt phase wondering if my arm was ever going to be in good shape again.”
Perseverance quickly trumped self pity, however, and soon Merryweather was preparing for a strong appearance in the Arizona Fall League, which carried over into spring training. He was impressive at the Jays’ alternate training site in Rochester and with expanded rosters because of the COVID-19 pandemic, was an easy choice for promotion.
“We have those bad days but you just stick to the program and you realize it’s probably not as bad as it is in your mind,” Merryweather said. “You’re going to be fine if you just keep grinding.”
NOT DONALDSON 2.0
The trade that brought Merryweather to the Jays was full of so much, well, drama.
There wasn’t much of a market for the 2015 AL MVP Donaldson, who had spent much of 2018 on the injury list, was on an expiring contract and was frantically getting in some games with the Dunedin Blue Jays in advance of the Aug. 31 deadline.
Finally, Atkins peddled him to the Indians. But given Merryweather’s injury restrictions, the trade had to be listed as a “player to be named later.”
“Rumours were flying around and the whole player-to-be named-later thing was weird,” Merryweather said. “I was calling my agent asking if he knew what was going on and then a couple of days later I got the call that it was me.
“I had to actually wait until the end of the season to actually be traded. I spent another month with Cleveland rehabbing because only the staff and front office were supposed to know.”
Credit to Merryweather’s even personality that when he was asked about his situation in one of his first interviews with Toronto media he deadpanned: “I guess it’s kind of MVP or bust for me.” It was a lighthearted reality check for those who may have misread the Donaldson deal.
“That was exactly how I decided to take it,” Merryweather said. “I wasn’t going to talk about trying to live up to those crazy expectations. It was my way of taking some of the load off me. I wasn’t expecting to go out there and be an MVP. (Donaldson) is a great player and a nod to him as well. It was just a way of having some fun with it.
“It was an honour to be traded for someone like that, but to be honest, my motivation was internal. For the love of the game and just trying to get back on the field, first of all.”
The fact that Merryweather was on a long road to recovery actually helped the Jays in their pursuit.
“I don’t think we would have got him if he wasn’t (recovering from surgery),” Atkins acknowledged.
“It’s not easy to find guys who have all the attributes to be major league starting pitchers and at the time checked most of the boxes for us: Power, athleticism, feel for the strike zone and multiple weapons.
“He’s been through a lot, obviously. But what’s been clear is his passion and work ethic. He enjoys the process and he really enjoys the work that goes into it and that bodes well for his future.”
REASON FOR OPTIMISM
The more Merryweather gets the opportunity to pitch, the stronger his arm is likely to feel. But the right-hander figures the success he’s having runs deeper.
“I think in general, it’s more than just my arm,” Merryweather said. “It’s my whole body, my mechanics. The timing. To put all that into one, this is probably the best I’ve felt throwing a baseball.”
The Jays won’t rush the process, but Atkins believes the early returns suggest he can be what he was when Cleveland drafted him.
“His upside, if he progresses in a safe way and maintains durability, is to be a very good starting pitcher,” Atkins said.
“We just need to be thoughtful about that and the time he missed — but there’s tremendous upside.”
More than likely, a starter’s role wouldn’t evolve until 2021, but for now Merryweather is down for anything.
“For me it doesn’t matter,” Merryweather said. “Now that I’ve done it, either way is fine for me. It’s whatever the team needs me to do.”
QUITTING NOT AN OPTION
From a fifth-round pick, to nearly two years out of action due to injury, to being traded for a former MVP and all-time fan favourite, Merryweather has seen plenty.
But he’s never let the dream die, or even stall.
“If you ask any player, they’re not going to give up on their dream, no matter their age” Merryweather said. “The road to get here may not be picture-perfect, but whatever guys have to do to get to the big leagues they’re willing to do.
“Obviously, I didn’t have the cleanest road, even starting out, wasn’t this born-to-be-prospect out of high school. But there’s no regrets. There’s nothing I would change.
“That’s my story and I’m happy to be here.”