A different type of 5K: Bulked-up Robberse explains his diet

TORONTO -- The Blue Jays’ pitching pipeline has had its moments.

From Alek Manoah to Nate Pearson, you see just how unpredictable the outcomes can be for top-end pitching prospects. Reaching back further to the years of Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez in Toronto, you’ll see that coming in hot and sustaining that success long-term can be two different things.

Now, the Blue Jays want consistency. With a high payroll that the club wants to keep competitive, developing a legitimate starter internally has never been more important.

Sem Robberse is part of that wave, standing near the front and gaining momentum already. The Dutch right-hander ranks No. 7 in the system, and while he’s long earned praise for his feel for pitching and an uncanny ability to make adjustments, he’d struggled to gain weight and add velocity.

Robberse finally figured it out this past offseason. He looks like a completely different young man now, and the secret wasn’t complicated. He ate 5,000 calories a day.

What an assignment.

“The hard part was that 5,000 calories is a lot,” Robberse explained as his smile grew. “I don’t really like to physically eat a lot, so I had to do it with shakes, Taco Bell, pizzas. They’re really good for calories.”

The results have already followed in Double-A New Hampshire. He owns a 1.86 ERA over 9 2/3 innings this year. Most importantly, the 21-year-old has struck out 16 batters. Projecting Robberse with a strikeout rate near 8.0 K/9 was one thing, but if he starts missing bats? It’s a different conversation.

“It feels stable. Everything feels more stable,” Robberse said. “There’s more weight on there. Last year, I felt kind of fragile. It was kind of sketchy going deep into games because I’d start to get tired a little bit. Now, I feel like I have the stability and it comes easier. As soon as my front foot lands, I feel that stability.”

Robberse was a sponge in Spring Training, too, soaking up everything he could from Toronto’s veteran staff. One day, he watched Kevin Gausman go through his bullpen routine. It wasn’t even about the pitches, but more about Gausman’s intent and focus, why he did what he did.

Even within the organization, Robberse has been a popular breakout candidate in 2023. As the pitching depth continues to grow, here’s a look at who could move quickly from each level:

Triple-A Buffalo Bisons: Waiting on Zulueta
No. 3 prospect Yosver Zulueta’s two outings have been polar opposites, one dominant and one rather poor. It’s left the flamethrowing right-hander with a 7.50 ERA with eight strikeouts over six innings.

At this point, Zulueta is pitching in three-inning stints, a common theme you’ll see through the system in 2023. The organization believes in him as a starter, but there may be a shorter path to a role in the bullpen, where he could provide some length with far greater upside than other internal options.

First, Zulueta needs to find a groove … and find that top-end velocity he’s flashed at times.

Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats: A tease of Tiedemann
No. 1 prospect Ricky Tiedemann pitched three scoreless innings in his 2023 debut, recording all nine outs via strikeout and touching 99 mph.

“He did all right,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider deadpanned after Tiedemann’s start. “He felt good afterwards. I don’t know what else he needs to do in Double-A. The biggest thing was that he felt good afterwards. That was the key. We know Rick can pitch.”

Tiedemann’s outings will continue to be on the shorter side as the Blue Jays manage his innings, but with a couple more outings like this, the Blue Jays will have to explore a move to Triple-A quickly.

High-A Vancouver Canadians: Dallas fans 11
Lefty Adam Macko is the main attraction in the Vancouver rotation, but right-hander Chad Dallas had an exceptional debut, striking out 11 over five innings of one-run ball. Dallas sits just outside the Blue Jays’ Top 30 list, but the fourth-rounder from 2021 has an opportunity to bounce back from a tough '22. Dallas -- or “Cheese,” as his teammates know him -- is a perfect candidate to make that jump to Double-A when a spot opens.

Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays: Upside in Rojas
Dunedin is thin on pitching while they await Brandon Barriera’s debut, but keep Kendry Rojas’ name in mind. He’s just 20 and missed time in 2022 with an injury, but there’s some upside to dream on with Rojas’ broad shoulders, long arms and athletic delivery. The left-hander hasn’t been pitching for long, so he’s the perfect project for Dunedin’s talented staff, which worked some magic last summer.