Marcus Stroman came over to the Mets prior to the trade deadline in 2019. After pitching for them down the stretch that year, Stroman chose to opt out of the shortened 2020 season, but re-upped with New York by accepting the one-year qualifying offer this past offseason.
Stroman spoke to MetsMerized this month about his career journey, from playing middle infield and pitching at Duke University, to pitching for team USA in the World Baseball Classic. He started on the mound during the infamous Jose Bautista bat flip game during the 2015 ALDS, and is now pitching for his hometown New York Mets.
Piersall: Take me through your first start of spring training. You were messing with your delivery a bit, and you displayed your new split-changeup.
Stroman: It felt good to get back out there and get going again, it’s been awhile. Everything feels good, my body is in a great place. Once my body is in a great place and my mind is as well, everything kind of just flows after that.
Piersall: You played middle infield in college at Duke, and Jacob deGrom did the same at Stetson. Do you think that you two could still be a solid tandem up the middle?
Stroman: I think we would, man. DeGrom is a super athlete and I consider myself the same, so I think we’d be good out there. We both take groundballs and we’re always doing things that athletes and infielders do to try to keep our athleticism in our deliveries, so yeah, I think we’d be alright out there.
Piersall: When you attended Duke, you studied sociology. Since you’ve become a professional baseball player, you’ve always had a knack for being positive yourself, and spreading it to your teammates and fans. How much of that stems from your studies, or is that something that is just innate within yourself?
Stroman: I think that’s within myself, man. I feel like I’ve always been the kind of person to find a positive moment at any negative time. The world can be a negative, negative place, and I hate to see how negative it is, so I’m just looking to be a light or source of inspiration, motivation, a positive voice that can counteract the negative voices that are in society. That’s just me truly being who I am as a person. I think my upbringing from my parents and their values that I hold true to my heart helped as well.
I’m the kind of person who is always working on myself as well. Whether it be my self care, whether it be my mind, whether it be my breathing, I’m always trying to improve. Not only in field, but in life. Anything I can do in life to improve or better myself which will help me be better for the people around me, I’m always trying to find any lane.
I have a mental coach that preaches mental performance and mental strategies and mental health. I put a premium on selfcare, whether it’s recovering in my hyperbaric, taking proper rehab or prehab, I have a breathing coach. I just try to take every measure. I never want to look back and think, “I should have done this,” or “I wish I would have worked harder,” so I just try to exhaust every opportunity and be the best I can be every single day.
Photo: Logan Bowles, USA Today Sports
Piersall: I would love to expand a bit more on that later, but just for a moment, I wanted to talk about the World Baseball Classic that you participated in back in 2017, and taking home the series MVP honors. What was that experience like for you back then?
Stroman: That’s probably the most fun I’ve had playing baseball. It was just super exciting. It’s super hard, man. The buzz around that tournament, the noise, the atmosphere, the crowd, is hard to put into words. I pitched in the Jose Bautista bat flip game, and that’s the only game that has been close to pitching in the WBC, so definitely the most fun I’ve had playing baseball. We were star studded, and we kind of had everyone come out and play that year. It was exciting being out there with that group of guys playing for your country, especially going up against those lineups those other teams had, those are star studded lineups. Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, those are big leaguers 1-9.
It was definitely a fun experience, and to be in Miami which is kind of a Latin community, and then having the championship in Los Angeles, I always look back on that time fondly.
Piersall: That same year, you also won a Gold Glove award. Fielding is often overlooked for pitchers, but how do you manage to stay sharp? Is it something you are actively working on, or is it something that just comes naturally to you?
Stroman: It comes naturally, but to be honest man, I take groundballs a lot. Not even on the mound, but I take groundballs with infielders all the time. It’s something I’ve done my whole career. At Duke, I was a middle infielder and played there my freshman and sophomore years. My coach was insane, we used to take so many reps. I just like to take groundballs because it keeps my athleticism in check. It’s the same reason deGrom likes to do it.
I’ll get out there with Francisco Lindor, or whoever’s out there and just literally take groundballs, and I feel like in doing so, it puts me in a good position for fielding when I’m on the mound.
Piersall: You’ve now played for a couple different organizations. Are there any differences you’ve noticed in playing for both teams, whether it be from an atmosphere aspect when you’re on the field, but also off the field as well?
Stroman: I just think that every team and organization is unique within itself. It’s hard to compare, I would never compare. I loved Toronto, I loved everything about that city, that city gave me life. I can still go back to that city, I have a lot of friendships and ties. I love Canada truly, that’s one of the best experiences I’ve had in baseball, and that was my first experience playing professional baseball, so I have a very, very, very special place in my heart for everything Toronto and everything Canada.
Ever since I’ve come to New York, I’ve loved every aspect of it. The staff, the organization, how they go about their business, how professional they are, how much information they have. For every player, they’re very ahead of the wave, so I’m just always trying to learn.
As a player, the game is always changing, the game is always adapting and we have to adapt with it. We have a lot of really great information and a lot of very, very smart individuals around the team and the clubhouse, so we do our best to take the information that works best and use it to our benefit.
Piersall: There are a few guys on the Mets now who you played alongside in Toronto. How do you feel about having some familiar faces around you with you all playing for a new team, and still trying to have that same goal?
Stroman: Yes, Aaron Loup, Sean Reid-Foley, Kevin Pillar, Miguel Castro. We were just talking, we had a little group meeting in the clubhouse the other day, but yeah there are I think five or so guys I played with in Toronto early in my career with. It’s awesome, man. I’ve played with a lot of those guys during my early come up years, especially Pillar and Loupy, they were pretty much on the squad the entire time I was with the Blue Jays. I know those guys really well, great personalities, great guys in the clubhouse, they’re super down to earth. All they do is try to raise the team up to a better spot.
I’m excited, and like you said, any time you have a little familiarity with guys that you’ve been around, it always breeds comfort. Not even just that, though, those guys are very talented and are going to help us win games on the daily.
Piersall: During one of your early Zoom calls with the media this spring, you were talking about how coming into the season, your body feels elite. Last season, you did suffer a torn calf muscle. How was your rehab on that, and how is that feeling and how is everything else feeling coming into a new season?
Stroman: Everything’s good, man. I’m 100 percent in all areas. I have my trainer Nikki Huffman who is with me and puts together all my programs. She’s a genius and I trust her more than I trust anyone in this world. She was the head trainer with the Blue Jays and is now working independently. She works with myself, she works with Nolan Arenado and a few other guys, but yeah, she’s a genius and I’ve learned so much about my body from being around her. She’s taught me so much so we are just continuing on with that and we always find ways to evolve, get stronger, get more stable. I’m going on year eight but my body feels like I’m going on year one. It’s very calming for me to say that because when my body is in a good place, that just breeds a very calm mindset for me and it kind of matches my mind mindset.
I feel like at this point, I can conquer anything adversity wise, getting through little trials and tribulations that always arise throughout a season, I feel like there’s nothing I can’t get through. I’m excited for not only this year, but I’m excited for the future. I’m happy, man. I’m in a good place, so it feels good to be where I’m at.
Piersall: You decided to accept the qualifying offer this offseason. How much of an influence did having a new owner in Steve Cohen have in that decision, and perhaps even MLB coming off a shortened season enough to re-sign with the Mets?
Stroman: I loved the organization and the staff, and then having Cohen come in being such a vibrant, bright personality and presence and talking to him on the phone, you just get this sense of excitement and sense that he wants to take this team to the next level. Kind of all things just coming together and being in New York, having the ability to have my family come and watch my games is like a dream come true. That’s kind of the overriding theme. The fact that my family can attend all of my home starts, is something they’ve never been able to do in my career. I’m excited for that, man. My family is my heart. I’m excited to go out there and perform for them.
Piersall: The fact that you took the one-year qualifying offer, you’re set to hit free agency again this winter. Obviously, it’s a little early right now since this season hasn’t even really started yet, but do you see yourself more likely to sign an extension and stay long term with the Mets, or is free agency appealing to you since you will once again be one of the top names on the market?
Stroman: To be honest with you, man, I truly do not live outside this moment. I’m in such a good place, so I can’t even talk about that because I’m so in the moment right now, and to focus on what I need to do to be elite for myself, for my family, to be the best person I can be on and off the field. I’m truly just locked in on that, so it’s hard for me to talk about even a week from now, it’s hard for me to even talk about a few days from now. I’m sure everything is going to play out well, man, everything has been manifested. I work extremely hard and I put a lot of pride in my work ethic and my work ethic always turns out well. So no pressure, no worries at all on that front.
I’m playing a kids game. Every day I wake up is truly a dream, so I’m just thankful and grateful to be in the moment, and that will play out how it needs to when that time comes.
It took a long time to get to this point. I’m going to be 30 this year. I put a lot of priority on my mind and my mental, and I’m at this point where the calm has been cleared. Now I have this new sense of motivation and inspiration and that comes from the help of the people around me. Now, I’m hungrier than I’ve ever been. My happiness is no longer dictated by a loss or a bad outing, I’m on this wave that is very consistent and I know things are going to work out in the end, and I’m excited to see how they play out.
Piersall: The Mets made a slew of roster additions this winter. They flipped nearly 50 percent of their 40-man roster. Who are some of the new guys, and even some of the incumbent guys, that you are most excited to play alongside this year.
Stroman: I think we made an incredible amount of moves. I can’t even put it into words, I’ve never been on a team that’s made that many moves in an offseason, adding so much talent and depth.
Francisco Lindor, Carlos Carrasco, James McCann, Joey Lucchesi, Jordan Yamamoto, Loupy. I can keep going and going and going. These are all big league guys who have been doing it at that level for a long time. These aren’t fringe guys, these are guys who are established and who are going to go out there and know what they are doing.
Like I said, we have a ton of depth, I’ve never been on a team that has this much depth. I walk out of the clubhouse, Mallex Smith, Kevin Pillar, Albert Almora, it’s crazy man and these are just additions to what we already had. To the Conforto’s, to the McNeil’s, to the Nimmo’s, these are all additions so I love our squad and I’m very confident in every single one of our guys and I’m excited to play with all of them.
Piersall: James McCann, who you mentioned, was added to the team pretty early on in the offseason. Just from hearing some of the other pitchers and players talk, it seems McCann has already had a positive impact and is really locked in to learning his new staff. How important is it to have a catcher like McCann aboard and can you speak a little bit about your working relationship with him thus far?
Stroman: He’s a blessing, man. That’s the only way to put it. He’s truly a blessing. I’m very happy and thankful to have him, how locked in he is and how attuned he is to his pitchers, and how much he wants to do to get better daily. To see his homework he puts in, to see his game plan, how he prepares for each start and each guy is so impressive. It’s very impressive and I’m just excited to work with him. We’re constantly picking each other’s brains, I’m so open to his ideas and he’s open to mine, but he’s like this with every member of the pitching staff.
It’s so nice to have a backstop that is so in tune with not just you, but with the whole team. Being a strong defensive catcher is extremely, extremely important to him. I’m just trying to do everything I can to learn from him as well, he’s been strong his entire career and he’s caught some great arms. Obviously, Lucas Giolito last year, but just to hear his mindset and how he prepares, I can’t wait to have him back there every start.
Piersall: For whatever reason around Twitter and the fan base, it seems that the acquisitions of Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco have gone a bit under the radar. Perhaps it’s because the Mets didn’t sign any of the “big three” free agents, but how big of an acquisition were those guys to the team?
Stroman: Yeah, I don’t know how that’s flown under the radar. Those are two elite guys in the game. Lindor is arguably one of the best shortstops in the game, arguably if not THE best shortstop in the game. And then Carrasco has been doing it for years and he’s been filthy his entire career. Obviously, I was in the American League and I got to see him pitch, he is filthy, man, and he has some starts where guys aren’t even coming close to hitting any of his stuff.
I think just coming off a 60 game season, a lot of people just got lost in a lot of senses. It was just a tough year, 2020. I think once things kind of get back to normal, people are going to be so appreciative for these guys, for McCann, for Carrasco. I’ve been talking to Cookie and what an unbelievable human being in every single facet, and he wants nothing more than to get better and continue to work, but when you have guys like that, it really just breeds this atmosphere around the clubhouse. Guys are just feeding each other information and pretty much just creating a winning culture.
Piersall: In regards to some of the younger guys in the organization, I’ve seen you working with one of the Mets’ top pitching prospects in Matthew Allan this spring. How has it been working with him, and how has it been mentoring not just the younger guys, but also to be a guy in the clubhouse that other players can go to?
Stroman: I’m just always open to anyone who wants to learn. The more and more I go through the game, I get excited about being a role model for the younger guys in the game, a lot of college guys, it’s crazy to see all the interactions on social. It’s a blessing to see how much of a role model I am.
Being around Allan, I think he’s going to be a legend in this game. He’s got a big time arm, but he’s so open to learn. I feel that a lot of times when guys are big time prospects they aren’t as open and have it figured out. Allan is the complete opposite. He’s picking everyone’s brain, he’s here to learn everything he can so he can be a guy for a long time in the league, not just to come up and be a flash.
We’ve been talking a lot, he’s been picking my brain a lot. I love feeding him all the information and he kind of will pick and choose what he wants to use and clicks for him, and he will go and put it into his repertoire or his mechanics or whatever it may be.
Piersall: I know Matt has also been working with and picking the brain of Jacob deGrom, and you had talked about how you and deGrom have been spending a lot of time together this spring. What is working alongside Jacob like, and how much of an impact does he have on the rest of the pitching staff and yourself included?
Stroman: DeGrom is just someone that you have to, I feel like he’s timeless in that sense. He’s going to be talked about for like, hundreds of hundreds of years down the road. I feel like people don’t appreciate him sometimes because of how good he is. Just to watch him go about his business, to watch his routine, to watch how locked in he gets, how much intent he has on the hill, or when he’s in practice or playing catch, he’s incredible, man. His stuff is not only incredible, just how in tune he is with his body, his arm slot and how consistent he is, it’s like that’s what I love. How consistently good he is, you rarely ever see that in life: someone staying so elite for such a long amount of time.
I try to put myself alongside deGrom whenever. Lowkey, me and deGrom have a very cool, awesome relationship. Whenever I want to ask him, he’s always open and vice versa. I’m always watching his bullpens and he comes out to watch mine. It’s cool to have that in your back pocket, because I’m always trying to learn. I know that I’m never at a point where I’m going to reach my maximum potential, I never view it like that. I’m always picking his brain and I feel like there’s this image from the outside that deGrom and I wouldn’t get along because we have different personalities, but it’s actually the complete opposite because we click on that level.
I truly believe he’s the best in the game. I’m not just saying that, I truly think he is, and I truly think he will be for a long time.
Piersall: Overall, this team already seems to be extremely tight knit. I know you’ve been out there every single day, Francisco Lindor has been out there every single day. I know a lot of the other guys have also talked about being tight knit. What’s the vibe been so far this spring in regards to that atmosphere?
Stroman: It couldn’t be a better, more mesh, more cool vibe in the clubhouse. Everyone meshes, everyone knows their routine and everyone is excited and motivated. Once you get around a group of guys that have done it at this level for so long, all you’re doing is feeding each other information and creating this culture. It’s a very confident group and like I said, I’m very excited to go out there and compete.
Piersall: Earlier this spring, you introduced a split-changeup. When and how did you develop that pitch, and how important do you think it will be to your already extensive pitch arsenal?
Stroman: I think it can be a weapon, man. I didn’t know it could be a weapon until (I faced the Astros), but I feel like it can really be a weapon. I don’t know how I’m going to use it yet, we’ll figure that out, but it’s definitely a pitch I feel I can use to righties and lefties in any count. I feel confident already being able to throw that pitch when I need to. It’s not a pitch I’m going to live on, the sinker is my pitch, and I work in a four-seam fastball as well. I also throw cutters and sliders so, I’m always just trying to have weapons to go to. I feel like you can never have enough good weapons. I’m trying to have plus weapons, so anything I can add to the game.
Sometimes, you go into a game and you don’t know what you’re going to have. There are some days when I don’t feel my sinker, I don’t feel my cutter, I don’t feel this pitch, so for me, it’s good to have another pitch to go to.
Marcus Stroman's split-change has a 26.7% whiff rate this spring.
Not bad for a new pitch that he's only been messing with for several months. @STR0 #Mets #LGM @Metsmerized pic.twitter.com/1STuUeBIE9
— Mathew Brownstein (@MBrownstein89) March 19, 2021
Piersall: Back in 2019, your last full season, you had incredible success limiting batters from barreling up on pitches and hitting the ball hard. You had also improved on that from some earlier years in your career. Were there any specific changes you made back then, and have you tried to continue developing to keep that trend going?
Stroman: It’s all body for me. It’s all body and mind. I found a few things in my delivery, in my core stability, so once I get to a strong point in my delivery, I let everything flow after that. Sometimes I’m fighting it, but I’m also at a point where I’ve found some things with my trainer. Usually when I’m in a good place with my body and mind, my pitches are playing pretty well off that. I’m never going to be a guy to focus on blowing my pitches by someone because, like you said, I know how much movement I get in the zone, so when I’m on, I rarely feel like I’m limiting the barrels I get in a game.
The hard hit percentage is very low, and I take pride in that. I truly believe I can have some very quick innings and get some guys to roll the ball weakly, rather than trying to find a strikeout at times. I feel like I’m different, I’m kind of old school in the way that I pitch, but now I’m trying to incorporate some of the new school analytics and trends to help my game as well.
Piersall: I was actually just going to ask you about that because, for the most part in your career, you’ve always had good spin on your fastball as well as some of your tertiary stuff pretty consistently throughout. Spin rate has become more and more considered in regards to pitchers over the last several years. It’s something you’ve always done, but have you now focused on it more with the analytics revolution and the prevalence of technology such as rapsodo?
Stroman: I don’t, man. I let those guys focus on it. Like I said, I focus on my body and when I put my body in a good position, all my numbers are really good. For me, it’s a direct effect so I don’t say, “oh, I need to go get my numbers better,” it’s more, “I need to get my body more stable, where it needs to be,” and it’s crazy, because when I do, the numbers all speak for themselves. That’s kind of always how I’ve been. I’m a body guy, you know, I’m 5’7″ so I have to have an elite body and I need to get everything I can out of my frame. I need to be more stable than the rest because I don’t have those levers or leverage to get away with things in certain areas.
I have to do a lot. It’s a whole job within itself, but I love it. I love the body, I love taking care of it, I love learning about it, and then like I said, when those numbers are good and my body is moving how it should be, usually the RPM’s and spins take care of itself.
Piersall: We talked a little bit about some of the off field work you do and working with your trainer Nikki Huffman. But, I saw a few pictures on your Twitter recently about you doing hyperbaric oxygen chamber therapy and also saw you had a pants looking contraption around your legs hooked up to a machine. How do these forms of therapy help your game and can you talk a little bit about them?
Stroman: They’re huge, man. I don’t think enough athletes put the time in to take care of their bodies. I’m just prolonging my career and putting my body in the best position possible. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is probably the best thing you can do for recovery. I just get in there and read, but you’re pretty much receiving 100 percent oxygen. When you get a chance, look up the benefits of that recovery. And then, Normatec recovery boots which are for the legs. I do BFR training as well, which is blood flow restriction. I dry needle a lot with my trainer. We do extensis, soft tissue.
Like I said, man, I’m trying to do everything I can to put my body in the best position possible. I never want to look back and say, “you know what? I should have worked harder,” or, “I should have made it more of a priority to take care of my body.” I feel like I’ve seen a lot of guys come and go in the game that haven’t taken care of their bodies, even if they had elite talent, and I felt like I never wanted that to be me.
I want to leave this game when I want to leave this game, I don’t want this game to push me out. When it comes to recovery, self care, focusing on the mind and body, I’m going to do everything I can to keep those on the top of the list.
Piersall: Kind of going off that, you’ve talked about how you’ve gotten more acclimated with this game now that you’re older. How do you manage to stay positive in the game and on your socials, especially being someone who is as interactive as you are, especially playing in New York where those things can be a bit more magnified?
Stroman: It has to do with my calm and where I’ve gotten to. I’ve gotten to a point where I’ve realized I’m going to be my true, authentic self. I have people from all walks of life, it’s crazy, that reach out to me on the daily saying I’m their source of inspiration, I’m their source of motivation, that I’ve helped them get through this terrible time in their life. By me being my truly authentic self, I’m able to help people mentally get to a better place. It’s inspiring for me, man. I’m able to see that, and I’m able to see how much good I’m able to bring to the world.
I’m OK with a little bit of hate from people who are upset, or who are miserable in their own life and have to run to Twitter and use it as an outlet to run away from their own. I focus on my mental and my calm, and once you find that, you don’t allow the negativity to influence who you are. I bring too much good to people on the daily. My family, my many blessings, my life is amazing. I wake up and I’m truly living in a dream daily. My family dynamic is increasing and getting better as the years go by, there’s no stress in my life.
Piersall: You’ve gotten a chance to debut your new SHUGO cleats on the field this spring. You’ve been working on them for the last two years, and how you wanted them to be free from any company or brand. I know that’s really been such an amazing experience for you, but can you talk about your new cleats line as well as the work you continue to do on your brand Height Doesn’t Measure Heart (HDMH).
Stroman: I’ve been working on SHUGO, my cleat line, for two years now. It’s been an unbelievable process and a blessing to get to this point, but I pretty much created my own cleat to have my own thing and create my own brand. I was tired of how brands were treating me. Jordan didn’t allow me to have my own HDMH company, and we had a falling out there. Then, the cleats I was receiving from Nike and Adidas after my ACL surgery, I was bringing to doctors and they were saying these cleats were bringing me more harm and putting me at more risk.
I created my own cleat, man, pretty much for myself and to put myself in a better position to be healthy for my whole career. It’s been worked on from that standpoint, it’s great for your foot and foot flexion, for anyone who has had injuries, it’s preventative for injuries. It’s a great cleat in that sense and once we wanted to do that, we started to work on the stories, the history, the colorway. Like I said, it’s been a process since I’m working by myself and with a team rather than going through a brand. It makes it more special though, because it’s only going to grow from here.
I’m excited. We have three more colorways coming out in the next few months. I’ll pretty much be rocking them all year, and who knows? I have guys in the big league clubhouse saying they want to rock them so who knows where it goes from here? But I’m excited.
Piersall: I know this is a question you and the rest of the guys get a lot and it’s such a hot topic, but let’s talk about the black jerseys. What are your thoughts? Are they going to bring them back and do you want them to? Pete Alonso was talking about the idea of everyone in the stands wearing black while the team does on Fridays and how cool a “blackout Friday” would look.
Stroman: I love them. I’m 200 percent all in. That’s pretty much my viewpoint on them. My first jersey was a black Jose Reyes jersey. I’ve always loved the black, man. That colorway. I had a black jersey at Duke, so I’ve always loved that colorway, and especially using them as one offs, like black Fridays when you’re just breaking them out on certain days. That’s really cool and gives off that vibe.
I’m all for them, man. I’m all for them. I feel like the Twitter fanbase is so split on them. It’s crazy to me how people hate something so much. People will go on RANTS talking about black jerseys. Like where are you at in your life where you are that upset about a jersey? *laughs*
I’m all for the black jerseys, and like we said, it’s not like we are going to be wearing them every day. It’s just to sprinkle in here and there and it’s another option.
When I think of the Mets, personally, that’s the only jersey I think of. I think of Mike Piazza, I think of Rey Ordonez, I think of Reyes. That’s what I think of.
Piersall: Is there anything that I didn’t ask that you would like to talk about or would like to mention?
Stroman: HDMH, my apparel company that stands for “height doesn’t measure heart,” and breaking stereotypes, we’ve begun sourcing anything for any team. Whether it be colleges, high schools, youth teams, we can pretty much gear out uniforms, hoodies, tees, on and off field gear, whatever you need, we’ve got you.
My brother-in-law who runs the company, we just started picking up accounts and the jerseys are looking like crazy. We have kids designing jerseys, we have some of the parents getting in and coaches were coming up with some really cool schemes and the quality is amazing. It’s pretty much the same quality as the stuff I’m wearing on the field every day. Our turn around times are insane, and it’s just a lane for me to see that logo on the youth and to give them the opportunity to create their own jerseys and to go out there and have fun. It’s awesome to see. I’m excited to grow HDMH and we are going to continue growing it the rest of my career.
Stroman can be found on Twitter: @Str0.
"between" - Google News
March 26, 2021 at 03:25AM
https://ift.tt/31lsMBm
MMO Exclusive: Marcus Stroman Talks Baseball, Life, and Everything In-Between - metsmerizedonline.com
"between" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2WkNqP8
https://ift.tt/2WkjZfX
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "MMO Exclusive: Marcus Stroman Talks Baseball, Life, and Everything In-Between - metsmerizedonline.com"
Post a Comment