Marcus Stroman Latest Blue Jay to Have Wings Clipped
It might seem as though the Toronto Blue Jays players are doing their best to impersonate last years plethora of injuries experienced by the Texas Rangers. Except for spring training is not even half way done yet and the Jays have lost two key members for extended periods of time. Starting pitcher Marcus Stroman is the latest one to find himself hobbled.
Yes, hobbled. Meaning Stroman, a pitcher, did not sustain an injury to his throwing arm. He suffered a torn left ACL, an injury commonplace amongst professional and collegiate football players. Apparently Stroman blew his knee out fielding a bunt during a drill, folks. This wasn’t even an in-game activity. Now his 2015 season is over.
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Only a few weeks ago the Blue Jays announced starting left fielder Michael Saunders would be sidelined until the All-Star break with a torn meniscus in his knee that came about from stepping in a sprinkler hole while shagging fly balls in the outfield. After having 60 percent of the cartilage removed him his left knee in surgery, Saunders’ prognosis changed to a more favorable outlook. He’s expected to miss five to six weeks as opposed to the original 12-15 weeks timeframe.
Stroman was slated to be a large component of Toronto’s rotation this year. He, along with fellow young pitcher’s Aaron Sanchez and Daniel Norris are all three very hopeful prospects within the Blue Jays’ organization. Stroman threw over 130 innings and started 20 games last season, making him by far the most experienced at the big league level of the three. He fared quite well also, finishing tied for the second most wins (11) on the club, the second best starter’s ERA (3.65) and the lowest BB/9 ratio on the team at 1.9. Stroman possesses strong command for a pitcher his age with six different pitches in his repertoire.
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The injury to Stroman will place a greater emphasis on Jays management and their decision to use Sanchez in a bullpen role or as a starter. GM Alex Anthopoulos also stated that losing Stroman will promote stretching out Norris and Marco Estrada a bit more as spring training carries on.
Injuries are as much a part of sports as winning and losing are. The recent news concerning Saunders is definitely a positive development from an isolated incident. When compounded with the news of Stroman, it makes the whole pill a little easier to swallow, as well.
While Jays fans must be discouraged with the clubs recent health woes, if they want to look for a silver lining, Marcus Stroman’s right-arm indeed remains intact and healthy. While he is rehabbing his knee over the course of the next 12 months, he will be able to keep his strength up in his pitching arm with regular exercise and training. If everything goes as planned from here on out, Stroman should be a major contributor to the Blue Jays’ rotation in 2016 and well beyond.