Put Respect on Marcus Stroman's Name

by Tim Reilly April 19, 2021

Take a seat and enjoy the Stro show. Marcus Stroman talks and walks (literally) like a front-of-the-rotation starter, and he's pitching like one so far this season. When I watch deGrom pitch, I feel like watching poetry in motion. When I watch Stroman pitch, I'm watching New York swag in motion.

Fired. Up. 🔥 @STR0 pic.twitter.com/nUZ1VnKbyR

— New York Mets (@Mets) April 18, 2021

There seems to be some hesitation to fully embrace Stroman because he opted out of last season. Get off your high horse. If you're someone who spent the better part of last year working remotely, or are still today, you have no right to judge anyone's pandemic decision. It was the early stages of the pandemic. No one had a good grasp on what was going on in the world. He did what he thought was right for his family and it's hard to argue against anyone who does that.

It couldn't have come easy. You can see how much this guy loves to be around his teammates, and his teammates love being around him. That's a guy you want on your team. That's a guy you want to root for. That's why I'm happy to have Stroman in Queens.

Three starts, two runs allowed. @STR0 is off to a 🔥 start. pic.twitter.com/PfECKkHkle

— MLB (@MLB) April 18, 2021

Rather than searching for a long-term deal on the free-agent market, he opted to take a qualifying offer with the Mets to pitch in front of the hometown fans and earn himself a megadeal. That gamble on himself looks like a wise decision right now. He's strutting off the mound like a guy poised to sign a 9-figure deal. If he keeps this up, it just might happen.

Embrace Stroman for who he is. Normal people are boring. Stro is a colorful figure on a colorful team full of different faces and personalities. That's New York in a nutshell. Hell, that's the world in a nutshell. His charisma is sure to rub some people the wrong way. As long as it's opposing fans who can't stand they lost to the guy, I love it. I can't accept it coming from the hometown fans when he's performing at a high level though.

Is anyone having more fun than Stroman on the field? Remember, sports are a form of entertainment. Like it or not, that's the truth. It's a fierce competition meant to entertain the masses. Baseball can be boring at times. Just not when Stroman is on the mound. He's the type of guy that deserves to have a camera on him for every movement throughout a start.

Stroman is the type of guy who kids will watch and think it's cool to play baseball. I need more of it, not less. Pound your chest after a big strikeout. Strut off the mound after a seventh shutout inning. And if someone takes you deep, they deserve to flip the bat and stare you down in response. That's how it goes.

There's some early-season swag about this team, and Stroman is a big reason why. Get on the Stro train. It's not too late.

---

---

---

Also in The 7 Line Blog