Blue Jays: Dominant or not, Marcus Stroman deserves a Gold Glove

Though he’s been far better lately, Blue Jays starter Marcus Stroman is still going to put up crooked numbers this season. But that shouldn’t hurt his chances at taking home some awards this offseason.

One thing you have to give Marcus Stroman is his athleticism. Whether it’s endlessly training in the weight room or acrobatically making plays on the field, Stroman is an outstanding athlete, and it shows.

Even during his worst periods of the season, one thing that remained constant was his defence. Bouncing off the mound with ridiculous agility, the New York native showed why he’s deserving of the Gold Glove Award he won in 2017.

Now that the 2018 season is coming to a close (well, almost), it’s time that Marcus Stroman again be included in the Gold Glove conversation, regardless of how well he’s actually thrown the ball on the rubber.

Voters may have a tough time crowning him the winner, seeing as his underwhelming 5.20 ERA seems to rule his stat line. Appearing only in 16 games this year, he’s still managed to toss over 90 innings and rack up 72 strikeouts.

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Best of all, he makes plays when he has to. The highlight reel is endless but it can be summed up with three words – speed, strength, and range. In fact, if you have a look at most of his defensive metrics courtesy of baseballreference.com, his numbers are actually even better than they were last season. Granted he’s only appeared in half as many games because of his DL stint earlier in the year, but he’s still been very impressive as an extra infielder.

With looming uncertainty on whether or not Stro will remain a part of this team beyond the 2018 season, his defence remains unshaken. An underrated aspect of a pitcher’s play, defence is always welcomed, especially when it’s complemented by such incredible athleticism.

Apart from Stroman, the only other Blue Jays pitcher to win a Gold Glove Award was R.A. Dickey in 2013. An equally outstanding defender, Dickey didn’t quite have the range and athleticism Stroman has, partly due to his advanced age and different style of play.

Regardless of how the awards are distributed, Marcus Stroman, exuberant and ecstatically elated on the field, should be a prime contender to once again be crowned the best defensive pitcher in the American League. While there are certainly others who could be considered deserving, it’d be a shame to see it go to someone else.