There is no denying that the
trade that brought David Price to the Toronto Blue Jays late last July was the
kick in the rear the team needed to jump-start their playoff drive. The Jays
were an above average team that continued to underachieve, mired in mediocrity
since the big trade with the Florida Marlins during the 2012-2013 season. In
2014, despite having an outside shot at the postseason, management did nothing
at the trade deadline, which was an indication that they had given up on the team,
angering both fans and players alike.
But with the Price trade, it was
a jolt to the rest of the players who finally saw that management (well, at
least former General Manager Alex Anthopolous, anyway) believed they could be a
competitive team. With that little bit of inspiration, the team surged to the
top of the American League East and as far as the American League Championship
Series, before succumbing to the eventual World Champion Kansas City Royals.
However, with Price gone, the
Jays are still the favourites to win the division, and will not miss him in
their rotation. It’s not everyday that you lose your ace pitcher, while at the
same time, predict you can do better without him. There’s no denying the impact
Price had—in 11 starts he posted a 9-1 win/loss record, had a 2.30 ERA and
struck out 87 batters. But he’s already done what he was required to do.
The team now believes they can
win. As slugger Jose Bautista said before the season began last Sunday, “Before,
we had guys who liked to win, but didn’t hate to lose. It was a different
style. Now we have guys who love to win and hate to lose.”
I believe that says it all.
Toronto now has changed their attitude from thinking they can win, to expecting
to win. And anything short of that will be unacceptable. Forget about the
contract situations of Bautista and DH Edwin Encarnacion. Forget that Josh
Donaldson will be a free agent after 2017. This team is built to win now. And
win they will.
But let’s look at another,
probably even more important, reason the Blue Jays will not miss David Price.
And that would be Marcus Stroman.
Stroman has already assumed the
role of staff ace and with reason. It’s fair to say that not having him in the
rotation for the first five months of last season hurt the team. When he
returned in September, he won all four of his regular season starts while
posting a 1.67 ERA and striking out 18 batters. In the playoffs he had two
no-decisions against Texas in the ALDS and won his only ALCS start against
Kansas City.
During his time off with injury,
he has learned how to take care of himself physically, by his own admission. He
understands what he needs to do to stay healthy and be prepared to pitch every
fifth day. And he’s not lacking in confidence. Just watch him when he’s on the
mound. He truly believes that he can get every hitter out.
And it’s not only me, an amateur
blogger, who feels that way. Former Boston Red Sox and Montreal Expos pitcher,
Pedro Martinez, said so when Toronto was in Montreal to play two exhibition
games against the Red Sox before the season started. Pedro said, “Marcus
Stroman’s going to be better than I am.”
He went on to explain, “He’s a
little bit stronger than I was. Even though he’s a little bit shorter, he’s not
Lincecum-like. This kid has so much talent, that kid doesn’t need to be any
taller than that. I got to see him in AA against our team in Portland and I saw
him struggle a little bit. He was flying open and his slider was a little flat.
We had the opportunity to interact a little bit. And then two months later, I
got to see him mowing down the Red Sox.”
“And I asked myself ‘Was it worth it … talking to the kid about his
mechanics?’ I’m extremely happy for him, I can totally relate to him. This kid
has a big of a heart of anybody in baseball and I love watching him pitch.”
High praise indeed from a member of Baseball’s Hall of Fame.
And with the potent offense the Jays have, Stroman will get plenty of
run support. Twenty wins is not out of the question, which is something David
Price would have had if he had stayed with the club. One ace leaves, another
develops. And, at a fraction of the cost.
Nope, with Storman healthy and ready to dominate American League
batters, Toronto will not miss David Price.
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