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BA article on Marcus Stroman

ace3113

By ace3113
in Toronto Blue Jays Talk

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ace3113 FCL Blue Jays

ace3113

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http://www.baseballamerica.com/majors/what-to-expect-blue-jays-rhp-marcus-stroman/

 

What To Expect: Blue Jays RHP Marcus Stroman

 

Every Tuesday, Baseball America will take a look at a prospect who is either just arriving to the majors or on the cusp of the majors to give a look at what can be expected from them both as a player and for fantasy purposes.

 

Toronto’s 12-13 record is largely attributable to its pitching. Entering Tuesday’s games, the Jays rank 25th in ERA (4.45) as a team. But even more troubling is Toronto’s rotation, which ranks 27th in innings pitched with 134, an average of 5.1 innings per start.

 

Outside of the dependable Mark Buehrle, who’s averaging nearly 7 innings per start, the remainder of Toronto’s rotation has struggled to reach five. R.A. Dickey is at about 5.2, Drew Hutchinson’s averaging about 5 and Brandon Morrow and Dustin McGowan are averaging about 4 innings per start.

 

Not only are the starters not going long, they’re obviously not effective in those brief bursts, either, leaving a heavy burden for the Jays’ bullpen.

 

McGowan, following his most recent start on April 23, admitted to feeling fatigued around 60 pitches.

 

Fortunately for Toronto, it has young starting pitching ready to help in No. 2 prospect Marcus Stroman.

 

SCOUTING REPORT

 

Stroman was Duke’s first-ever first-round pick in 2012, so he’s not a stranger to longshots, which is good because he faces more scrutiny for his size.

 

Stroman is just 5-foot-9, and since 1960, only two righthanders that size or shorter (Tom Phoebus and Tom Gordon) have made more than 30 starts.

 

What he does possess is plus stuff. Stroman has a heavy fastball at 92-95 with above-average movement, and he has an out pitch in his upper-80s slider. His weapons also include a plus cutter that can touch the low 90s and an average changeup that flashes plus potential.

 

He also possesses quick-twitch athleticism and is an excellent defender, helping cut down on other teams’ running games. One thing to note is Stroman was suspended for 50 games in August 2012 after he tested positive for amphetamines.

 

Coincidentally, the Jays have kept Stroman and McGowan on the same schedule, meaning Stroman could step right in, with McGowan moving to the bullpen, where he was successful last season. McGowan is expected to start Tuesday, but clearly, the Jays are expecting more.

 

WHAT TO EXPECT

 

Stroman’s size might scare off some teams—or fantasy owners—but not the Blue Jays. John Lott of the National Post in Toronto cited a source within the Jays’ management who said Stroman is a “fully-formed pitcher” ready to help now and just needing a spot to open in Toronto.

 

Stroman is 1-2, 2.18 at Triple-A Buffalo with 26 strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings and while his changeup still needs work, his fastball and slider appear ready for the big time. His control remains a positive, as he’s walked just six after walking just 27 in 112 IP in 2013.

 

But Stroman, who turns 23 Thursday, had only pitched 131 innings as a pro entering the season with a high of 112 in 2013 and it’s unclear how much of a burden Toronto would put on him this soon. Expect the team to monitor his innings and pitches likely for the entire season, should he be called up this early.

GD MVP

GD

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It'd be helpful if Minor League Central could update their SIERA figures. I'm putting up an article/report/whatever when he gets called up.
Bluejays0988 Prep Ball

Bluejays0988

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Even with McGowan's good start against the royals, do we still bring up Stroman and send McGowan to the pen to help them out? its not like anyone in the pen is really pitching all that well these last couple weeks...
KingKat All-Star

KingKat

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Even with McGowan's good start against the royals, do we still bring up Stroman and send McGowan to the pen to help them out? its not like anyone in the pen is really pitching all that well these last couple weeks...

 

I don't think you should sacrifice starting depth for the sake of the bullpen. If McGowan is over his fatigue issues, that's a huge plus for the team. Stroman may simply have to wait which is a bit of a shame but it's a nice problem to have.

KingKat All-Star

KingKat

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My only concern about him is his propensity to give up the long ball. He did that a lot in ST, but then again it's just ST.

 

He's yet to give up a homerun in the minors this year fwiw.

G-Snarls Cooperstown

G-Snarls

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The immediate conclusion was that he was being lined up with Dustin McGowan, who is barely hanging on to his spot in the rotation. But their primary thinking was to set him up as an option for a spot start this Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates (who had a scout in attendance), or versus the Philadelphia Phillies on May 5 or 6.

 

Should McGowan indeed return to the bullpen, J.A. Happ is likely to get the first crack at the rotation slot because he has a big-league track record, the club wants to give him a chance to see how he fares, and its investment of $5.2 million in the left-hander is ample incentive to do it.

 

Stroman is the leading candidate should they indeed have someone make a spot start to provide an extra day of rest for their five-man rotation at the front end of a 20-game slate. Concerns about adding him to the 40-man roster, starting his service-time clock and potentially burning an option by sending him back down won’t be factors in the decision.

G-Snarls Cooperstown

G-Snarls

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He faced 19 batters and one – ONE! – hit the ball out of the infield, a lazy fly ball to centre by Kristopher Negron that was beyond routine for Anthony Gose. Mike Wilson hit a soft popper to Ryan Goins at second for the only other ball in the air, and the other six outs that didn’t come via strikeout were all on weak ground balls, one snared niftily between the legs by a spinning Stroman.

 

The volume of grounders is an important sign as pitching down in the zone has been a focal point because “he got away with some stuff thigh-high last year with double-A hitters,” said Bisons manager Gary Allenson.

Bluejays0988 Prep Ball

Bluejays0988

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My gut tells me that Happ will get a start, even though he's been terrible since spring(and even when he returned last year) I think AA will give me a shot before making any decisions regarding his future with the team.
Convo First Round Pick

Convo

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My gut tells me that Happ will get a start, even though he's been terrible since spring(and even when he returned last year) I think AA will give me a shot before making any decisions regarding his future with the team.

 

No.

Jays Draft Eligible

Jays

Verified Member
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It seems like it's been so long since we had a high strikeout pitcher come though the system and come to the big league club.

 

What about Hutch?

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