Week of firsts: Stratton welcomes child, makes OD roster

MIAMI -- Hunter Stratton had finished his throwing for the day and was ready to leave LECOM Park Sunday when he was called into manager Derek Shelton’s office. He knew it was going to be a quick meeting, and he had to hit the road immediately after since his wife, Lakyn, was about to give birth to their first child.

Shelton and general manager Ben Cherington cut to the chase, asking about the baby first, then telling him the good news. The 27-year-old right-hander had made his first Opening Day team. A few hours later, he and Lakyn were introduced to Maverick Alexander Stratton.

“It’s going to be the best day of my life anyway, and then they put the cherry on top,” Stratton said. “It’s been an incredible week.”

The funny part of it all was Stratton didn’t think he had a chance of making the team out of camp. There were a couple spots open late when Colin Holderman and Carmen Mlodzinski were placed on the 15-day injured list, but even then, he felt it would be an uphill climb.

So he didn’t focus on making the team. He focused on himself, the conviction of his pitches and just being ready for when that opportunity would come.

“When I got non-tendered and re-signed this offseason, I told myself if anything happens… I’ll show up in midseason form,” Stratton said.

He didn’t have to wait until midseason, and he can thank Maverick for that.

Last September, the Pirates called up Stratton to the Majors for his debut, and he tossed 12 innings of 2.25 ERA ball over the final month of the season. It was a quality first showing, but the team was expecting to make moves this winter and needed to create some roster spots, so they non-tendered him. They made it clear that they wanted to keep him and extended a Minor League contract, giving him a path back to the Majors, but could not offer any guarantees.

For many players in a similar situation, they would explore their options and try to find a Major League contract elsewhere. Stratton wanted to stay with the only organization he’s known, and it was largely due to him knowing the baby would be coming in late March.

“With the timing of little Mav coming, it was just going to be hectic,” Stratton said. “I didn’t want to have to go somewhere else and learn a new city, learn new people. I’ve already got these amazing relationships with all the staff. I love the people that we’ve got. I wanted to slow down, and I believed in myself that I’d be back.”

Stratton’s belief in himself was evident in camp to Shelton. After the righty reliever got a taste of the Majors last year, the manager noticed a new air of confidence about him this camp.

“I mean that in a good way, like, ‘Hey, I belong here,’” Shelton said. “This is a guy who grinded. After he came to the big leagues last year, he had a little bit of success. We took him off the roster. He came back. He came into Spring Training knowing, ‘I belong here.’ He definitely pitched like that in Spring Training.”

Stratton showed in a small sample last year what his 96 mph fastball and slider/cutter combo, which can reach 2,700 RPM of spin, can do in the Majors. He also got in on the fun in the Pirates’ 12-inning Opening Day win over the Marlins Thursday, tossing two-thirds of an inning.

“It just reassures the things you’ve been working on,” Stratton said. “It kind of paid off. You understand who you are, what you need to do. Let the outside voices stay outside voices. You know what to do.”

It’s a mentality he picked up watching his favorite pitcher growing up, Adam Wainwright. Stratton saw how the Cardinal legend would treat every pitch like it was the last one of the World Series, and it resonated.

“I take that to heart,” Stratton said. “I’m giving it everything I have out there. Even the ones that hit guys or aren’t near the zone, it’s everything I’ve got.”

Everything Stratton’s got was more than enough to earn another call to the show and reaffirm that Mav will know his dad is a big leaguer.