TORONTO -- Last year, Marcus Stroman wasn’t himself. The 28-year-old right-hander fought through the season, battling injuries, unable to showcase himself as the pitcher he knew he could be, had been before and would be again.
“I knew it wasn’t me,” Stroman said. “I knew where I was at, but I knew I could go out there and grind through it, and I did that. I got through it, but I knew I wasn’t anywhere near myself, and I knew that what I needed was an offseason to get right.
“I’m excited to change that narrative of me as a pitcher, which was me grinding through a shoulder problem, not necessarily me becoming a bad pitcher or me getting knocked around.”
This season, the narrative has certainly evolved for the most consistent hurler in the Blue Jays’ rotation. Stroman owns a 3.18 ERA over 18 starts and 104 2/3 innings, with 32 walks and 81 strikeouts, and he is on pace to surpass an impressive 2017 season in which he finished eighth in American League Cy Young Award voting.
Stroman's comeback, complete with a selection to the 2019 All-Star Game, taking place tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET on Sportsnet, follows a 5.54 ERA over 19 starts and 102 1/3 innings last year.
“I’ve been through a lot in my life, last year is not anything,” Stroman said. “I’m usually pretty good with adversity, I usually bounce back really well from it. I’ve grown as a person, and that’s something that my family instilled in me.
“I always look to adversity as an opportunity, not as something to get down and out about. So I always welcome any of that. And I knew what I was capable of, it was just a matter of putting in the work in the offseason. It’s really awesome to see it all play out for my family and me.”
With his family by his side in Cleveland, they’ve helped the hurler enjoy the festivities from a fresh viewpoint.
“This is crazy, to be honest,” Stroman said. “Just walking around, seeing the names... It puts it more in perspective when I see my young brother walking around here and how starstruck he is, every day. That kind of puts it in perspective, so I’m just really trying to enjoy every moment here, capture it with my family and take this into the second half.”
Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen has had a front-row seat to take in Stroman’s success this season, and for the 24-year-old backstop, there’s been nothing more impressive than just how much his battery mate brings to the table.
“He has so many weapons, and he’s able to go to all quadrants of the strike zone,” Jansen said. “He can use a cutter up and in on lefties, which he never had before. That's a new pitch that he’s developed, and it’s become a really good pitch to righties and lefties. He’s always got his sinker, and he’s got his curveball/slider that he’s able to manipulate, and he’s got a little changeup, too."
Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo has been most impressed by Stroman’s consistency throughout the season, and what the native of New York has offered to the club each time he’s stepped on the mound.
“Every time he pitches, we’ve got a chance to win,” the skipper said. “And early on when he was pitching, he didn’t have any run support from us, and he kept us in every game. He’s been an All-Star.”
For longtime teammate Justin Smoak, what separates Stroman the most is the nature of his competitiveness.
“More than anything, the most impressive thing is how he competes,” Toronto’s first baseman said. “I know sometimes he rubs people the wrong way or whatever, but more than anything, he’s out there and he competes his butt off. He’s got really good stuff, but the way he competes is what sets him apart from other guys.”
Stroman's evolution will continue with every outing he makes and all the work he puts in along the way. He’s excited for what that has meant this year and looks forward to what it may bring in the future.
“I’m always adapting, I’m always changing to whatever’s around me, to whatever the situation is,” Stroman said. “Whether it be the game of baseball, mentally, physically, I feel like I’m able to adapt and I’m able to accept any adversity and get through it. That plays into everything, into me being successful."
Stroman’s recent success landed him in the middle of the All-Star festivities in Cleveland, where he can’t wait to take the opportunity to learn and continue to get even better.
“I’m just trying to take it all in,” he said. “I’m excited to meet everybody, talk pitching grips, talk swagger, talk confidence. I’m just trying to learn as much as I can while I’m around the best players in the game. I’m going to take whatever I can from each and every person and apply it to my game.”