Cubs News: Marcus Stroman attributes his early success to WBC |
CHICAGO - Pitcher Marcus Stroman is off to a great start this season and celebrated his start No. 200 in the opening game of the series against the Texas Rangers. He has two wins this season, and his earned run average (ERA) is 0.00, both of which are first in the league.
Stroman credited his excellent start to the season to playing in the World Baseball Classic (WBC). “My year in 2017, when I played in that WBC, I feel like I had one of the best starts to my season. I came out and threw 200 innings after that year,” Stroman said. “I feel like it puts you in that competitive frame and gets you going much earlier than Spring Training. Spring Training, you can kind of go through the motions at times. So, playing super competitive, I mean playoff-level atmosphere baseball in March, it’s extremely fun. But now, only fun, it makes you get ready for the start of the season, and so, yeah, I feel like I’m definitely more prepared because I was able to experience those games.” Back in 2017, he was a crucial part of the United States’ victory in the WBC, where he led them to an 8-0 victory over Puerto Rico. Now in 2023, he represented Puerto Rico, where his mother was born. He pitched a total of nine innings and had four strikeouts. Not only does his success stem from the games he played in the WBC, but also because of his mentality as a hard worker. “I’m a worker, so I’m always working in the offseason. It’s kind of a testament to everything that goes into it,” Stroman said. “I feel like I’m one of the better ones at making adjustments in the league because of how much time I spend on my body. So, pitch to pitch, I’m usually able to make corrections.” Even with his hard-working mentality, any competitor knows there are always things that can be improved. For Stroham, that’s his sinker. It’s not quite where he wants it right now, but with some improvement, he believes that he can get a lot more outs. “I truly feel like if I get my sinker to where I can get it in the zone, then it’s going to be an out the majority of the time,” Stroman said. “If you give me more confidence, that’s a scary sight.” Truly can’t express how thankful I am for the passion and energy of the @Cubs fanbase. From the moment I walk out pre-game to warmup…the love is endless. It’s an honor to compete in front of y’all. Thank you! 🗣️ He can’t do it alone, though. There has been some concern regarding the level of depth the Cubs have at pitcher. But according to Stroman, there isn’t anything to worry about. He is confident in the pitching depth of this team and feels this depth is incredibly important toward getting crucial wins later in the season. Further, Stroman credits the staff for helping him stay in shape and for the development of the players. “I feel like starting pitching is extremely important when it comes to going deep into the year, to winning. I feel like you need to have a good staff that’s able to keep you in games,” Stroman said. “I’m very confident in our five, six, seven. We have a lot of depth as well.” Stroman is not listed as the probable starting pitcher for any of the games in the series against the Rangers. However, it’s probable that he will start a game against the Seattle Mariners. That series starts on Monday, April 10, and concludes on Wednesday, April 12.
