Blue Jays: Stroman’s hard work paying off in many ways

Marcus Stroman had the best season of his young career in 2017, and his hard work is paying off in many ways, both on and off the field.

The Blue Jays may not have had a great year as a team in 2017, but it was a fantastic campaign for Marcus Stroman. The 26 year old finished the season with a record of 13-9, an ERA of 3.09 (4th in the American League), and surpassed the 200 innings pitched mark for the second year in a row. He was the only starter who met or surpassed the expectations that the club and fanbase had in 2017, and as a result his stock has risen significantly in the last 12 months.

The Duke university product enters the second year of his arbitration eligibility with the Blue Jays, and is in line for a substantial raise from the roughly 3.4 million he earned this past season. Speculation has been all over the board (I’ve read anywhere between 6 and 9 million for 2018), but let’s just say he’s in line for a hefty raise regardless of where they finally settle.

One of the more fun parts about Stroman is his willingness to engage his fans on social media, and he was at it in plenty of ways on Monday. First, I read a tweet to J.P. Arencibia asking when he was going to come work in sports media in Toronto. In case you missed it last week, the two had a pretty comical exchange on Twitter at the exchange of former player and current broadcaster, Gregg Zaun.

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I also saw the tweets from a couple days ago, as he relived the glory that was the “Bautista Bat Flip”, and gave yet another tribute to his now former teammate. The two have been very close since Stroman has been a big leaguer, and the youngster has made no bones about sharing his affection for one of the first big league mentors he ever had.

Finally, I saw the fruits of the young pitcher’s labour, as he shared a photo of what appears to be the back yard of his new house he purchased. It makes sense that now that he’s moving out of “rookie contract” territory and closer to “staff ace” level, that he’s looking to upgrade on his living situation. Looks like a decent pad….

For the “height doesn’t measure heart” champion, it’s gotta be a great sense of accomplishment to be sitting in that spot, after all he’s worked for to be in the position. I don’t think we need to worry about him staying motivated for 2018 or beyond though, even if he’s hit this milestone in his personal life.

Next: Blue Jays' players willing to commit to Toronto these days

*Update- The exchange with Arencibia and Stroman continued as I wrote the article. Gotta love it.