2017 Fantasy sleeper and bounce back candidate: Marcus Stroman

Sep 2, 2016; St. Petersburg, FL, USA;Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Marcus Stroman (6) throws a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 2, 2016; St. Petersburg, FL, USA;Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Marcus Stroman (6) throws a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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Marcus Stroman lines up well to be a sleeper candidate for fantasy junkies looking for a late round steal in 2017.

The Toronto Blue Jays will be expecting a bounce-back season from the larger than life 25-year old right-hander in 2017. Stroman struggled last season in his first full season since missing most of the 2015 campaign with a torn ACL.

Yahoo Sports has Stroman ranked 132nd in their preseason rankings and have him tabbed as the 50th best pitcher. The hurler is clumped in with the likes of John Lackey, Aaron Nola, Rich Hill and is surprisingly ranked four spots lower than teammate Aaron Sanchez (136).

Regardless of their Yahoo rank, Sanchez has an average draft position of 91st with CBS while Stroman is being taken on average 145th overall in CBS pools.

Many poolies may overlook the Stro-Show due his inflated 4.37 earned run average and 1.289 WHIP from 2016. However, 2016 was somewhat the tale of two seasons for Stroman who struggled mightily in the first half and then righted the ship back to respectability after the All-Star break.

Stroman managed to knock a full run off his ERA in the second half while striking out the same amount of batters in 125 fewer second-half plate appearances.

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The low point of the season came in the month of June where Stroman imploded for a 7.76 ERA surrendering 23 earned runs in 5 dreadful starts. If you subtract the month of June from the equation Stroman would have finished the year with a 3.83 ERA. Woulda shoulda, coulda but good for interest sake.

The Duke University alumni eclipsed the 200 inning mark for the first time in his career last season and seemingly appeared to get stronger down the stretch and into the playoffs.

All things told, even with inflated 2016 numbers John Gibbons still had the fortitude to trot Stroman out on the bump for the AL Wild-Card game versus the Baltimore Orioles with their season and playoff hopes on the line. That says something for the confidence the manager has in Stroman.

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The former first round pick is a gamer and truly believes in his abilities on the diamond. Look for Stroman to take the next step in 2017. Definitely worth a 9th round gamble in your respective pools.