Blue Jays: Aaron Sanchez bulking up, wants to start

Blue Jays pitcher Aaron Sanchez is packing on muscle this offseason, and he isn’t doing it to pitch short bursts out
of the Toronto bullpen.

There’s a lot more to be excited about now with young Blue Jays pitcher Aaron Sanchez because, well, there’s a lot more Aaron Sanchez.

Speaking with reporters today at the Blue Jays Winter Tour, Sanchez revealed that he has gained 25 pounds since the offseason began as he’s been working out regularly with Marcus Stroman. Now up from the 190-pound range to the 215-pound range, Sanchez should be much better suited for the rigour of a long season as an MLB starter.

Sanchez wants to start for the Blue Jays in 2016, and the other half of ‘Strochez’ agrees.

Sanchez joined Marcus Stroman at Duke University this offseason, something you’ve gotten regular updates on if you follow either of the two on social media. And if you check out the video linked above, Sanchez seems to have packed a couple years of physical maturation into a couple of months.

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Health and durability will be pivotal for Sanchez in 2016, especially in the situation that he beats out both Jesse Chavez and Drew Hutchison for the fifth spot in Toronto’s starting rotation.

Sanchez was just finding his stride as a starter in mid-June of last season before hitting the disabled list with a lat strain. In that final start before dropping out of the rotation, Sanchez pitched an eight-inning win over the Houston Astros, allowing just one run on six hits.

In 11 career starts spanning 66.0 total innings as a starter, Sanchez holds a 3.55 ERA with a curiously low K/9 of 5.7. That number should grow along with the development of his secondary pitches.

His ability to steal the fifth spot in the rotation could represent the ideal situation for the Blue Jays in terms of starting depth, leaving Chavez as the potential long-man (a la Marco Estrada in early 2015) and allowing Drew Hutchison to continue tinkering with his craft at the AAA Buffalo level.