Notes: Stripling's velo; Sunday's lineup

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Coming into his first Spring Training with the Blue Jays, right-hander Ross Stripling is doing things a bit differently.

Stripling added long toss to his offseason program in an effort to get “more violent” with his delivery, starting out by throwing from 300 feet twice a week. Moving in a few yards at a time, Stripling will throw as hard as he can. These “pulldowns” are a heavy workout, but there’s a purpose.

“Maybe that will lead to more velo, or velo at least lasting longer throughout the game, which is something I’ve always struggled with,” Stripling said. “The long toss was Matt Buschmann’s idea, which comes from Driveline [Baseball] and the [Trevor] Bauers and the [Walker] Buehlers of the world, where if you want to throw hard, you need to practice throwing hard.”

Stripling’s four-seamer averaged 91.7 mph in 2020, so a bump up from that level could help him, regardless of which role he finds himself in this season. Often, a bump of velocity in Spring Training will eventually regress to a pitcher’s norm, but it’s much easier to believe in an uptick -- and the sustainability of it -- when it’s the result of an actual change in routine or delivery.

This is part of a broader effort by Stripling to get his fastball back to where it needs to be. He changed that pitch entering 2020, rotating his fingers “90 degrees up the horseshoe." It’s understandable why Stripling chased this new fastball, but the results were, in his words, “awful.”

“I was a couple hundred RPMs higher on spin, probably a couple more inches on vertical rise, flirting with numbers I just don’t normally hit,” Stripling explained. “The book would tell you, 'Hey, let’s throw that fastball.' I’m a guy who throws up in the zone, but I can really execute up in the zone at my 89-90 mph with average spin, and really hit that spot. Now, I’m throwing a fastball that I’m not that comfortable with and working on. I was living at the belt instead of the belly button. Every time I made a mistake, it just got hammered.”

Stripling got back to his old fastball with the Blue Jays, though, and this addition to his throwing program could provide him with a more controllable way to pump up his velocity.

Stripling arrived a few days after camp opened following the birth of his first child, but he is expected to jump right into the mix. He’ll be stretched out as a starter, but he could fill any number of roles for the Blue Jays. In his career, Stripling has a 4.01 ERA in his 61 starts and a 3.26 ERA in 87 appearances out of the bullpen.

Tanner Roark currently projects as the club’s No. 5 starter, but the definition of Toronto's rotation might not be all that traditional. Expect to see some piggyback starts and heavy usage of multi-inning relievers as the Blue Jays work to cover a full 162 games -- so there will be innings for Stripling regardless.

Spring Training radar guns sell plenty of false hope, but in Stripling’s case, it’s worth watching with some real attention.

First base reps possible for Gurriel
Early in camp, one nugget that caused some ears to perk up was Lourdes Gurriel Jr. taking ground balls at first and third base. With games approaching, manager Charlie Montoyo clarified just how realistic this is.

Third base is more of an emergency option for Gurriel, and the club doesn’t want to put too much on the plate of the young left fielder who has just adapted to his new position in the outfield. First base, though, has a little more traction to it.

“Because he’s got good hands, I want to have those options," Montoyo said. "You’ll see him probably playing first [in Spring Training].”

Gurriel came up as a shortstop and second baseman, but he struggled defensively in 2019 and reinvented himself as an outfielder. He’s owed credit for that work, given how significantly he improved, and while he’s open to the idea, he’s also realistic about the process.

“I have no doubts in myself, but I’m not going to lie, the transition is going to be a little bit hard,” Gurriel said. “It’s kind of like before, from the infield to the outfield, it took me basically two years for that. But the desire is there. If I have to play first or third, and the team needs me there, I’ll do the best I can.”

It’s important to note that this type of positional flexibility doesn’t necessarily mean Gurriel will start at first base during the season. Let’s use a hypothetical situation where Vladimir Guerrero Jr. or Rowdy Tellez are taken out for a pinch-runner in the eighth inning. In that scenario, Gurriel could move to first base to finish the game while the reserve outfielder takes over for him in left. Late-game flexibility is the key here.

Opening lineup
Here’s how the Blue Jays will open Grapefruit League play on Sunday against the Yankees in Tampa:

1) Cavan Biggio, 3B 2) Marcus Semien, 2B 3) Bo Bichette, SS 4) Lourdes Gurriel Jr., LF 5) Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B 6) Rowdy Tellez, DH 7) Danny Jansen, C 8) Joshua Palacios, RF 9) Jonathan Davis, CF

And here are the pitching plans for the first three games:

Sunday at Yankees: Anthony Kay, TJ Zeuch, Jacob Waguespack, Bryan Baker, Joey Murray

Monday vs. Pirates: Robbie Ray, Nate Pearson, Jordan Romano, Ryan Borucki, Yosver Zulueta

Tuesday vs. Phillies: Steven Matz, Tyler Chatwood, Tim Mayza, Anthony Castro, AJ Cole, Ty Tice