After being sidelined with inflammation in his right throwing shoulder, Marcus Stroman finally made his first start of spring training on Saturday.
The ‘Stro Show’ kept the Canadian Junior National Team in check by throwing two hitless innings and striking out two in the Jays 11-3 win over the youngsters.
Facing a group U-18 kids, it was youngsters Bo Bichette (SS) and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (3B) that lead the way for the Jays. The hot shot prospects combined to hit 5-for-9, with Bichette driving in four runs and hitting a two-run homer in the first inning.
Following the game, Stroman made it be clear that he wants them both to start the season on the Opening Day 25-man roster.
Stroman referred to them as “legends”, and while it’s understandable as to why he wants them on the team, let's remember that Bichette turned 20 earlier in March, while Guerrero is now 19 as of Friday.
We know Stroman’s enthusiasm is second to none, but there’s really no need to rush these two guys considering neither of them have played above High-A yet. Starting off with the Dunedin Blue Jays (High-A) or with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Double-A) seems like the most realistic scenario, as you rarely find baseball prospects that bypass two minor-league levels by jumping from High-A to the MLB.
It'll be very intersting to see how Bichette and Vlad Jr. fare in the coming weeks as teams start to field a more MLB-heavy roster, and begin to really amp up the workload for certain pitchers.
OF NOTE: Braden Halladay, the son of the late Roy Halladay, pitched for the Canadian team against his dad's old team and received a big standing ovation as he walked on and off the mound.
