DUNEDIN, Florida – On Tuesday afternoon, TSN.
cheap jerseys from china .ca sat down with Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker for an exclusive 1-on-1 at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. Last
season, thanks to injuries and ineffectiveness, Torontos starting rotation
posted a 4.81 ERA, second-worst in all of baseball. If the Jays are going to
compete in the ultra-tough American League East, the staff will have to
drastically improve that number. This discussion focuses on the makeup of the
rotation, early favourites to earn a spot and whether Walker truly believes this
club has enough major league-ready, quality arms to be playing meaningful games
in August and September. To listen to the interview, click here. TSN.ca: Pete,
weve got a lot to get to here so Im going to fire some bullets here and hope you
dont dodge them. Here we go: Drew Hutchison, first and foremost, very, very
impressive on Saturday in Sarasota with a fastball clocked in the mid-90s. Could
you foresee him on the starting staff when we break camp on March 30, March 31?
WALKER: You know, its definitely early in camp but watching him work, watching
him go about his business and the way hes carrying himself right now and the way
the ball is coming out of his hand, the command, the poise, the power, its a
pretty good group of pitches there. Right now, hes just doing everything he
needs to do to set himself apart from some of the other guys. Again, its his
first outing. You dont want to put too much stock in it but the evidence points
to him being on top of his game right now, feeling great coming back from the
Tommy John surgery and, again, you cant say enough about the first impression in
camp for Drew. The way its going for him, if he continues to pitch this way and
continues to throw the ball the way hes throwing, hes certainly a strong
candidate for that rotation. TSN.ca: Were looking at whats a pretty obvious top
three here right now. R.A. (Dickey) is going to get the opening day start.
Brandon Morrow will slot in behind and Mark Buehrle will slot in behind. Then
there is that much, much larger grouping of which Hutchison is one, that
includes J.A. Happ, Esmil Rogers, Todd Redmond, Kyle Drabek and the list goes on
and on and on. In terms of how youre assessing the back end the rotation right
now, is there one spot available or are there two spots available? WALKER: Were
looking at it as one. Certainly, J.A. hasnt gotten off to a great start for him
right now. We would love him to be in that rotation. Certainly, hes a guy whos
pitched in the big leagues and had some success. We like where his slot is right
now. Obviously, the last outing didnt go very well for him. We want to make sure
hes feeling as good as he needs to be physically and were going to get him out
there many more times this spring. Hes a guy we want in that rotation, theres no
question about it but with that being said, theres a competition down here and
the guys coming in that are performing well, obviously you dont want to put too
much stock in spring training, but the guys that come in ready to go, its hard
to deny the way theyre throwing the ball and if they continue to throw the ball
that way on a positive note, they could definitely see themselves being
mentioned in that fourth and fifth slot. TSN.ca: The business side at this time
of year can be just as involved in decision-making as the performance side and
Esmil Rogers and Todd Redmond are two guys who contributed to your starting
rotation, really in a pinch, late last season and did reasonably well. Both are
out of options, which for the uninitiated means they could not be sent to the
minors without going through waivers and you run the risk of losing them. How
much of a factor do options play in the ultimate decision-making process here?
WALKER: Its a fine line. I mean, obviously, from a player development standpoint
you want to make sure the guys who are young are ready to come up here and
obviously, you dont want to lose good arms through the waiver process with guys
that have had success in the big leagues like Redmond and Rogers. Those guys did
a great job for us last year. Were looking forward to them being part of the
staff but again, youve got to watch these younger guys, Hutchison, Stroman and
watch the way they throw the ball this spring. If those are the guys that are
going to give us the best chance to win in April, then you have to strongly
consider it. You certainly, over the course of a long season, dont want to lose
quality arms, thats for sure because at some point, youre going to need those
guys. Rogers is potentially a number four or five starter in the big leagues,
going out there every fifth day with the stuff that he throws out there.
Certainly at times last year, he looked like it. Redmonds the same. I mean, he
did a fantastic job for us late in the season. You cant just overlook those
guys; they did do a nice job for us, they are candidates, viable candidates to
fill those positions and guys were very confident in. But it is hard to deny
that you see a guy like Hutchison and Stroman and see how poised they are and
see how theyre doing over the course of spring training and the way they carry
themselves that they act and look like big leaguers, theres no doubt about it.
Itll be interesting to watch the rest of the spring because theres a lot of
pitching left for these guys and certainly guys will have the ability to step up
or take a step back. TSN.ca: Have there been any changes in the way that you
guys want to approach hitters this season? WALKER: From a pitching philosophy
standpoint? TSN.ca: Yes. WALKER: No doubt. Obviously last year didnt go well for
a number of reasons. You always look back on the season and you find reasons
why. You look to evaluate certain areas and you look to make adjustments I guess
as a player, as a coach, its a constant changing so to speak so were always
looking to improve. I think, this year, the one thing we do want to implement
more is the off-speed pitch, you know, the changeup. We had guys with great
stuff that got hurt sometimes because they didnt change speeds well enough, you
know disrupt hitters timing. I think, this year, were looking to do that a
little bit more. I think its very important from a pitching perspective, in
those advanced meetings on the opposing side that they recognize we have good
off-speed stuff as well as the power, just to disrupt their timing so thats
something were definitely looking into. Aside from that, strike one more
consistently and minimizing the walks. Our walks were too high last year. We
want to attack the zone, again it was a philosophy last year it just didnt
really follow through but were definitely emphasizing it more this spring,
changing speeds and really going after the hitters early on. TSN.ca: I dont know
if it shows much on TV but when you walk around and you look at Brandon Morrow,
you definitely notice a different body type. Hes put on some muscle and he
shared with us that he tipped the scales at 219 pounds. This time last year, he
was 189 pounds on his way to 203 by opening day. Is he healthy? How is he
feeling? How confident are you that he can be the guy to give you 180-200
innings and win you 15-18 games because looking at the rotation, that seems to
be awfully important? WALKER: His track record isnt great, you cant deny that
but he definitely came into camp ready to go. He looks strong, he feels strong,
the balls coming out of his hand great. He said he feels great so we are
counting on him to be a workhorse for us. We need him to be a workhorse for this
staff and be a leader out there and take the ball every fifth day. Obviously, if
that doesnt happen, thats going to be a big blow to this staff. We need him to
be out there. I think he recognizes that and, like I said, hes come to camp in
great shape. Hes stronger. To me, he looks more durable and, like I said, the
ball is coming out nice for this time of the spring. Were counting on him
heavily. He knows it and I feel like hes ready for the challenge. TSN.ca: Whats
your relationship like with R.A. Dickey because, as a conventional pitcher, you
were one of about 99 per cent of the pitchers all-time who were fastball and you
work through your repertoire. Hes a knuckleballer and youve had him now for a
year. How do you help him? What kind of tips do you give him? What does he ask
of you because its obviously not a pitch youre familiar with? WALKER: Ive
certainly learned a lot about the pitch, thats for sure, and the mechanics of
the pitch. There are some traditional things that he does with his delivery that
we look at, no question about it but Ive learned over the course of our side
sessions and the terminology that hes used in the past, Ive learned certain
things that were looking for in his delivery when they break down to let him
know. He watches video. He prepares as well as anybody in the game, from a
pitching standpoint, to recognize hitters weaknesses and what their strengths
are. Its one of those things, over the course of the year, we learned a lot
about each other. He is a determined worker. I know last year didnt go the way
he expected or we expected initially. I do believe the WBC and the issues early
on physically affected him. This year, he is more focused than I remember last
year, thats for sure. His mind is in the right place, hes very determined and
hes setting a great example for the younger guys. To me, he looks like hes on a
mission to have a very successful season right from the get-go. The ball is
coming out of his hand great right now, the movement on the ball, the velocity
on the ball is better than last spring. Hes in a good place and, again, we need
him to not only take the ball every fifth day but be a leader on this team and
show the younger guys how its supposed to be done. TSN.ca: Two more for you, one
is a look back and one is a look ahead. How long did you dwell on last season
once you were able to get home and get away for a little bit? With some sober
second thought, out of the heat of the battle, how did you assess what went on
and some of the reasons why? WALKER: It was obviously a very difficult season
for everybody involved. There were some sleepless nights. I felt like, at the
end of the season, Id thrown 162 games and thats the way it should be as a
pitching coach. You take it to heart. It definitely bothered me but going into
the offseason, it was like starting with a clean slate, wanting to come into
spring training with a fresh outlook and we certainly have. The guys are coming
in, like I said were healthy, we need to be healthy, we need to stay healthy so
were staying on top of those things. Were also coming in with a different frame
of mind. I want these guys to believe in their stuff and take charge of their
game. Last year, there were times when I think we just expected that we were
going to do well and we were all guilty of it. But this year, I think theres a
different look in these guys faces, the pitchers especially and I know theres
been a couple of tough games these past two games but overall, the starters and
the guys competing for spots are very focused and I like the way theyre going
about their business and Im very pleased with where they are. TSN.ca: Pete,
looking ahead, youll know this as much as anybody else, there is some concern
amongst a large portion of the fan base up in Toronto that general manager Alex
Anthopoulos did not add to the pitch staff externally this offseason, via free
agency or via trade. So the question is, youve mentioned Hutchison, you did use
Stromans name in an answer, Aaron Sanchez as well, how close are we to seeing
Marcus Stroman, Aaron Sanchez and some of those guys not just come up and make
their big league debuts but potentially contribute every fifth day to a
successful team? WALKER: I think theyre real close, especially Drew Hutchison
and Marcus Stroman. Whether that had something to do with Alexs decision or not
this offseason, I know he was working very hard on a daily basis and we do have
good options here. Obviously youre seeing it play out right in front of your
eyes right here during spring training and I think you will for the rest of
spring training. We certainly, in our pitchers meeting before spring training
started, I definitely emphasized with these guys that we have enough in this
room. I look at R.A. Dickey and Mark Buehrle and the other pitchers in that room
and with that bullpen and with the young guys coming up, we certainly have
enough pitching to be competitive and to win a lot of games and put us in a
position for potential postseason play. But they have to believe it. I know,
based on last year, the fan base and the media, its questionable in their minds
but I know in that room, those guys are healthy, theyre determined, maybe they
have a little chip on their shoulders but theyre definitely looking forward to
the season and I definitely feel good about the group that we have. TSN.ca: We
wish you guys well, Pete, thanks so much. WALKER: Thank you.
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presidency and other executive positions.The Toronto Blue Jays have claimed
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wholesale jerseys. A third-round selection by the White Sox in 2008, Morel has spent parts of four seasons in the majors,
recording a .229 average with 13 home runs and 54 RBIs in 194 games. The Blue
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