If Marcus Stroman’s struggles persist, the Toronto Blue Jays should seriously consider sending him to the minors and feel no “shame” in doing so, says MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi.
“If things continue on this pace, I do think being sent to the minor leagues becomes a viable option,” said Morosi, who joined Dean Blundell & Co. Monday on Sportsnet 590 The FAN. “You’ve got to do something to fix Marcus Stroman. He’s far too good and far too young to be pitching like this right now.”
Stroman was tagged with the loss on Sunday as the Blue Jays fell 5-2 to the Chicago White Sox. The 25-year-old right-hander said after the game that he felt he made progress despite allowing four runs on seven hits and four walks over five innings.
That pitching line continued a trend that has seen Stroman struggle considerably following a solid opening to 2016. Over his last eight starts he’s allowed a whopping 38 runs and 67 hits in just 45.1 innings and witnessed his ERA balloon to 5.33, which is sixth worst among qualified MLB starters.
“If things continue on this course, you have to look at the big picture and say Marcus Stroman can be great, not just good, he can be great,” said Morosi. “He is far too talented to be struggling like this. At some point in time you have to cut your losses and probably get him to the minor leagues and get him out of the pressure, let him work on some things.
“There’s no shame in doing that by the way.”
Morosi says the ineffectiveness of Stroman’s fastball has been a major issue. With opposing hitters feeling comfortable they can handle the fastball, it’s in turn reducing the strength of Stroman’s off-speed repertoire.
Fixing such a problem can be difficult to do at the major league level, says Morosi, pointing out that former Cy Young award winners Max Scherzer, Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee were all sent back to the minors to correct flaws before truly establishing themselves.
Halladay, who spent parts of 12 seasons with the Blue Jays, was banished to the lower levels of Toronto’s farm system after his ERA soared to 10.64 during the 2000 season. Working with coach Mel Queen, Halladay revamped his mechanics, pitches and mental approach before eventually returning to the big leagues as a perennial Cy Young candidate.
“A lot of great pitchers have gone to the minor leagues to get things fixed up and come back and dominated,” said Morosi. “I think that might be where Stroman has to go if things don’t turn around in the next couple of weeks.”
Stroman’s next start is slated to come against the American League Central-leading Cleveland Indians in what’s expected to be a packed Rogers Centre on Canada Day. That’s followed by a potential date with the defending World Series champion Kansas City Royals next week.
