Aaron Sanchez pitches in relief of knuckleballer R.A. Dickey in a 4-4 spring training draw against the Phillies on Tuesday. In two innings, Sanchez threw 21 pitches for three strikeouts and no walks.Jonathan Dyer
They have been joined at the hip for several months now, these two young pitching studs, an unlikely pairing featuring the bold flash and dash of Marcus Stroman and the steely determination of Aaron Sanchez.
Teammates on the Toronto Blue Jays, the duo have been working out together like fiends, first at Duke University, Stroman's alma mater, and then here in Florida in advance of the six-week sojourn in the sun that baseball likes to call spring training.
On Tuesday, in neighbouring Clearwater, Stroman, 24, made his first appearance of the Grapefruit League circuit for the Toronto Blue Jays. Sanchez was not on the travelling team and could easily have gone fishing.
But there was no keeping the 23-year-old away. "I had to watch him throw," Sanchez proclaimed. Besides, he was Stoman's personal chauffeur for the game.
On Wednesday, it was Stroman's turn to sit back and watch his good buddy make his first tosses of spring training. It is an odyssey that Sanchez dearly hopes will end with a membership in Toronto's starting rotation for the 2016 season.
In the Blue Jays' home opener of the spring season here at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium, Toronto met the Philadelphia Phillies for the second consecutive day and the two sides battled to a 4-4 draw.
Thanks to his off-season workout regimen with Stroman, Sanchez says he added about 25 pounds to his lanky 6-foot-4 frame and now weighs 225 pounds.
Although it's far too early to determine if the added weight will help Sanchez free himself from the bullpen and muscle his way into a starting role, his showing on Tuesday probably helped his chances.
Pitching the third and fourth innings in relief of knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, Sanchez allowed one run on three hits – including a home run off the bat of Aaron Altherr.
But what was impressive, especially so early in the spring campaign, was the velocity Sanchez displayed.
His pitches – he threw 21 in total over the two frames – routinely touched the radar gun at 98 miles an hour. He had three strikeouts to show for it all, and issued no walks, which has been a worrisome habit of his in the past.
"It felt great," Sanchez said. "Obviously wanted to see how I felt out there after what I did this off-season, and needless to say, everything felt great."
Sanchez was well on his way to establishing himself in the Toronto rotation last season after breaking camp in the starting five.
He had a rocky start, going 3-3 in his first seven starts with a 4.26 earned run average. He also walked 29 batters in 38 innings pitched, including seven in one outing in April against Baltimore.
But Blue Jays manager John Gibbons stuck with him and Sanchez began to make strides. Over his final four starts, his ERA dipped to 2.57 and he only issued eight walks in total.
On June 5, in what would be his final start of the season before having to sit with a strained right lat muscle, Sanchez pitched a career-high eight innings in a 6-2 win over Houston, scattering six hits while not allowing a single free pass.
"He was on a nice little roll before he got hurt," Gibbons said. "You could see outing to outing he was probably at the time our hottest pitcher and most consistent. Then of course he had the unfortunate injury."
Sanchez did not return until July 25, and by that time his talents were required in the bullpen, where he played a big role in helping the Blue Jays secure the American League East title.
On his return to the bullpen, Sanchez posted a 2.39 ERA while holding the opposition to a .178 batting average.
This off-season, the Blue Jays acquired veteran reliever Drew Storen from the Washington Nationals, adding another arm to a crowded bullpen. That gives Toronto the luxury of stretching out Sanchez in spring training to see if he can catch hold of the fifth opening in the starting rotation.
Drew Hutchison and newcomer Jesse Chavez are also among those being considered.
Dickey, who had off-season surgery to repair the meniscus in his right knee, was also solid in his first formal game setting, allowing one run off two hits over the first two innings against Philadelphia.
The 41-year-old sees a lot of potential in Sanchez, especially his size and his ability to throw a baseball.
But he said those aren't the only factors in becoming a strong MLB starter, to be able to make 33 starts in a season and produce over 200 innings, the hallmark of a successful year.
"That takes a lot of help, it takes a lot of encouragement and knowing what you need to do to be able to do that," Dickey said. "He hasn't done that yet, but he sure has the frame and the makeup to be able to do that."