Gray puts intensity, leadership on display in first live BP session

JUPITER, Fla. -- Upon signing free-agent pitcher Sonny Gray, the Cardinals knew they were getting a hard-throwing right-hander who made 32 starts last season, had the game’s third-best ERA and finished runner-up in the voting for the American League Cy Young Award.

Over the past week of individual workouts and Spring Training drills, the Cardinals have gotten to see some of the more intangible and very telling things that they are also getting with the addition of the 34-year-old who burns with a white-hot intensity every time he takes the mound.

From Gray’s first throwing session -- when he confidently barked out a proverbial count and his plan of attack before doing just that -- to the last one on Sunday where he pitched with the intensity that belied the back-field live batting practice setting he was in, the Cardinals got quite the getting-to-know-you crash course on Gray. What they have learned already is that his intensity and enthusiasm are contagious, his willingness to be a leader is evident and his stuff is “[freaking] nasty,” as he empathetically noted earlier in the week.

When Gray has taken the mound, Cardinals pitchers, young and old, gathered around to watch. When Gray assembles catchers for post-throw skull sessions, he dominates the conversations, and their eyes rarely stray from him. Even when veterans such as Lance Lynn or Ryan Helsley ask about pitch grips or pitch shapes, Gray pours as much into the explanation as the execution.

“We had heard that this was going to be the case, and he goes about it in his own way, and it’s been fun to watch,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol raved. “He’s confident in what he knows and what makes him good, and he does an awesome job of inserting himself in certain meetings so that the group can understand what’s important.”

Gray, a member of the Twins last season when he posted a 2.79 ERA and limited the opposition to a .226 average, is joining a new team for the fifth time as he heads into his 12th MLB season. He said the past has taught him that he must be who he is instead of trying to conform around other new teammates. He’s unapologetic about his in-game intensity, and he has no interest in ever pitching without a plan or a purpose. He knows others are watching, and he’s totally fine with that. If his passion and preparedness prove contagious and spark the Cards pitching staff, he’s happy to be the ignition switch.

“Guys, in general, will look toward older guys for an example or a direction to go and I’m conscious of that, but it doesn’t persuade or influence me to do anything different,” said Gray, who threw to hitters for the first time as a Cardinal on Sunday. “I know I’m a fairly intense person, especially here in a baseball world. That’s just what I’ve learned over the course of my career that helps me be at my best. I show up to work, put in the work, put in the time and that works for me. If it does rub off on someone -- and it’s for the benefit of them -- that’s a good thing.”

It was quite fitting that a pitcher named Sonny Gray was the only Cards hurler scheduled to throw on Sunday considering all the dark and threatening clouds in the area and the rainstorms that hit just as the team was leaving the back fields. Gray didn’t let any of it detract from his third throwing session of his first week with the Cardinals, grunting loudly with each pitch and openly seething when he accidently spiked a sweeper. His 15-pitch outing included a catcher behind the plate, and it was highlighted by a couple of strikeouts and getting the ground balls he wants.

“I feel great, but I have to understand that at the beginning of camp there are a lot of big days and big throwing days,” Gray said. “Physically, I feel great, and I’m having a lot of great conversations that can help with people in the pitching department. I’m new here and everyone likes to impress and give that good first impression, but it’s about understanding that there’s a bigger picture here.”

One teammate he’s already made quite an impression on is All-Star closer Helsley, who has been an avid onlooker of Gray’s sessions. Helsley said he is proof of just how infectious Gray’s intensity and enthusiasm are throughout the Cards staff.

“Sonny’s a great leader and we’ve all been able to see that these first few days,” Helsley said. “I’m just watching everything he does and how he goes about his business. I want to take advantage of each day and learn something from [Gray] every day.”