Bounce Back Candidate: Blue Jays' starter Kevin Gausman
Photo credit: https://www.thestar.com/sports/baseball
Toronto Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman working to avoid the same setbacks as last season.
A year ago, Kevin Gausman relied heavily on a sinker because he didn't love the way his four-seam fastball was working.
In 2025, he'd like to get back to the four-seam fastball while also relying on his trademark splitter and a new slider with more speed, less break and «a little cutter action» that could help neutralize lefties.
Physically speaking, Gausman is now a little "sturdier," to borrow manager John Schneider's description.
Over the winter, he made a point to add some muscle since he tends to lose weight as the season progresses and he wants to finish strong.
«I'm a skinny guy, so if I'm losing weight it's probably not a good thing,» said Gausman. «I'm always trying to come into camp as heavy as I can be. I'm probably going to be the heaviest right now that I'll be all year. It's just how my body works. I'm trying to give myself more at the top end (of the season), so there's more left at the back end. That food in Louisiana's pretty good, too.»
After Thursday's outing, Gausman is on track to appear in a game sometime next week at which point he'll likely pitch two or three innings.
He's now on track to be able to finish spring with a pair of five-inning, 75-pitch Grapefruit League outings - something he didn't get the chance to do a year ago.
With a month remaining before the season opener, there's still lots of work to do. But already, Gausman can feel the difference compared to a year ago.
«Big time,» he said. «I feel pretty confident I'm in a good spot, right now. I had a good day. So obviously I'll come in (Friday) and see how I feel, but there's a night and day difference compared to last year.»
| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 28 | 105 ANSWERS Bounce Back Candidate: Blue Jays' starter Kevin Gausman Will Kevin Gausman have a bounce back season in 2025 now that his shoulder issues are behind him? | ||
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