When Toronto Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos announced Marcus Stroman would miss all of 2015 with a torn ACL, the collective hearts of the Blue Jays fanbase sunk. The first-round pick in 2012 was coming off a dazzling rookie season, serving as a bright spot amidst a lost season, when he won 11 games in 20 starts (26 appearances) with a 3.65 ERA and 2.84 FIP. The 5’8″ right-hander figured to be a big part of a Blue Jays rotation which didn’t feature a ton of depth, and his injury was a huge blow for the team.
When he’s been sidelined, Stroman, who has an infectious positive personality, has been the Blue Jays’ most vocal supporter on Twitter by constantly live-tweeting games, sending out positive messages, and giving updates on his recovery. He kept providing updates on how his recovery was going quicker than anticipated – tweeting in early August that Dr. James Andrew was stunned with how fast he was healing.
Dr. Andrews was stunned by the progression of my knee. Shattering time tables. Shout my @DukeU team! @rjbutler_dptphd @jshutt_dpt @NikkiG_13
— Marcus Stroman (@STR0) August 10, 2015
Grantland’s Ben Lindbergh wrote a lengthy piece on Stroman’s recovery, and documented how the pitcher kept on passing whatever tests were thrown his way and was defying the normal recovery time it usually takes for torn ACL’s to heal.
Yet no matter how many tests Stroman took, he kept passing. “There was no point when I realized I was ahead of schedule,” Stroman says. “It was just the check marks that I just started to see. All of my check marks when I first got there were red, and then they would just show me glimpses here and there of all the things I’d accomplished, and it would slowly turn to yellow, and from yellow to green. And then we would just keep moving down, down, down.”
Last night, Stroman’s unlikely goal of pitching again in 2015 was fully realized as he took the mound for the Blue Jays single-A affiliate, the Lansing Lugnuts, and pitched a gem. Stroman went 4 2/3 innings, throwing 69 pitches, allowing no hits, walking one, and striking out seven batters. While it’s important to remember it’s one of the best young pitchers in the game facing a single-A lineup, it was another encouraging sign for Stroman’s recovery.
Blue Jays special assistant Pat Hentgen watched the start, and told Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling he liked what he saw from Stroman.
“I thought he looked really good. His pitches had finish. His slider was sharp. He back-doored his breaking ball to lefties, he threw some good changeups,” Hentgen said. “His velocity was low-to-mid 90’s. And that’s going to get better as he keeps pitching. It was good to see him covering first base. I didn’t think he favoured his knee at all. I thought overall he looked really good and threw really well.”
Can't put into words how excited I am to be back in the 6 tomorrow and to see all my brothers. Been way too long! #TORONTO @BlueJays
— Marcus Stroman (@STR0) September 3, 2015
Not back with the team just yet. Still have another step to complete. I'll be with them until my next rehab start though. Can't wait!
— Marcus Stroman (@STR0) September 3, 2015
GM Anthopoulos has said if Stroman is fully healthy, the club plans to use him as a starter. With the Blue Jays sporting a suddenly deep rotation, I don’t think they’re in any hurry to rush him out and may ease him back in via the bullpen. However, having the option of putting him in the rotation is a luxury the Blue Jays previously haven’t had.
Stroman joins a drastically different team to the one he was a part of before the season started. He’d become the latest weapon in the impressive arsenal the Blue Jays have built.
For once what seemed to be an impossibility, Stroman’s chances of pitching again in 2015 is now a likely reality, and that’s all because of his dedication to the game.
