Halladay, Stroman and now Zeuch
VANCOUVER CANADIANS: Draft pick is already drawing comparisons to some of the great Blue Jays pitchers Steve Ewen
Considering how easy it is to link T.J. Zeuch to Toronto Blue Jays aces, there would have been something apropos about him making his Nat Bailey Stadium debut Thursday with Dave Stieb in the house.
Stieb, 58, a seven-time all-star during his 15 years with the Jays, is scheduled to be in town for the Northwest League series-opener against the Eugene Emeralds, to meet and greet fans as part of the C’s annual Superstar Series.
Zeuch, the 21st overall pick in June’s amateur draft by the Jays, who was assigned to Vancouver last week after one game in the rookie-level Gulf Coast league, is slated to start Friday afternoon’s contest. He is with the C’s for now, but this may only be a short stay if he’s as good as advertised.
Zeuch (pronounced Zoy-k), with his 6-foot-7, 225-pound frame and sinking fastball, has apparently drawn comparison from Jays people with Roy Halladay. The last pitcher getting this level of hype sent to Vancouver by Toronto was Marcus Stroman, the 22nd overall selection in the 2012 draft who was with the C’s for seven games over 20 days in July of that year before being promoted to double-A New Hampshire.
“There’s a little bit of pressure,” Zeuch, 20, a University of Pittsburgh product from Mason, Ohio, says of his draft spot, which led to a US$2.175-million signing bonus, “but no one has higher expectations for me than myself. That’s how I’ve been since high school.
“Whatever outside sources there are, I can ignore them.”
Asked about whether he has a timeline to get promoted from short-season single-A Vancouver to higher levels in the minors, Zeuch contends, “I have a lot of developing to do, a lot of things to work on.”
Among them, he says: Improving his curveball, slider and change-up, because Zeuch believes that developing his secondary pitches will help determine “if I get to where I need to be.” His fastball sits in the 92-94-m.p.h. range and touches 97 at points, and Zeuch believes he can add velocity as he gets older and stronger.
Asked about those comparisons with Halladay, a 6-foot-6 righty whose 12-year stint with Toronto was highlighted by winning the Cy Young in 2003, Zeuch says, “I’ve heard them. We’re relatively the same size and we have a similar pitching style. He had that sinker, and that’s my best pitch.
“It’s a compliment I take very well. Halladay is going to be a hall-of-famer. It’s a great honour to be compared to him in any way.”
The Jays have Zeuch on an innings limit, much like they did with Stroman, who never threw more than two innings in an outing during his time with the C’s.
It’s driving Zeuch a little crazy now; he gave up three straight extra-base hits with two out in the first inning of his C’s debut in Boise, Idaho, last Saturday, but felt he was settling in when he was pulled after three innings. His final line included two earned runs on four hits, while striking out two and walking two. He had thrown 69 2/3 innings for Pitt already this season.
“I understand why it’s being done, but I don’t think I’ll get used to it,” he says.
For all the hoopla, Zeuch considers himself to be a grinder. He says he went to Pitt because he liked the “blue-collar feel.” The third of four children, he says he and his siblings were taught by parents Tim and Lisa “that you won’t be given anything. You have to earn everything you get.”
Lisa is a stay-at-home mom. Tim runs his own small business. He had been a pitcher in the minors in the Kansas City Royals system. His career included a stop in the Northwest League in 1980 with the Victoria Mussels. That was the third of three years for the franchise in the loop.
“He told me how nice it is,” Zeuch says of asking his dad about B.C. after being assigned to Vancouver. “He told me that I’ll love it. It’s a perfect temperature. It doesn’t get too hot or too cold.”