Former Opening Day starter begins new chapter in Toronto

NORTH PORT, Fla. -- On Monday afternoon, and for the first time since 2016, Drew Hutchison put on a Toronto Blue Jays uniform. Signed to a Minor League deal this offseason, the 6-foot-3 right-hander was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 15th round of the ‘09 Draft, and in ‘15, he became the youngest pitcher to start on Opening Day in franchise history.

Since Draft day more than a decade ago, Hutchison has undergone Tommy John surgery and spent time with five different big league clubs. Now, carrying a 4.89 career ERA, he hopes to recreate some magic with the team that gave him his start.

Hutchison faced 12 batters over the course of two innings in his first Spring Training appearance of 2023 at CoolToday Park vs. Atlanta, as Toronto fell, 7-0. With a fastball topping out around 92 mph and a biting slider, the Florida native allowed two earned runs on five hits while walking one batter and striking out one.

The 32-year-old said he felt he had to acclimate to the new pitch timer that will be implemented in MLB this season, which resulted in a few early missed spots and hard-hit fastballs.

"It felt good to get out there and compete," Hutchison said. "I think I rushed myself a little bit in the first inning, trying to get ready to find that new rhythm. I thought the second inning was good. I kind of found my rhythm in that, got to executing pitches and thought I finished up well."

Of the pitch timer, Hutchinson added, “It's just one of those things you have to make the adjustment. We're all professionals. We will. It's just one of those things you have to do in real time. You can practice it or mentally go through it as much as you want, but until you get out there in the fire, that's where you're going to kind of find everything."

After a first inning in which a few defensive plays could have changed things, Hutchison bore down in the second, eventually getting Austin Riley to strike out swinging via slider on a 0-2 count -- his best pitch of the afternoon.

"I thought I came back and did a good job in the second inning," Hutchison said. "... I just have to execute pitches, and I thought I did a good job of finding that rhythm and doing that in the second inning."

What could be Hutchinson's fit on the team this season?

"We'll see at this point what the role is,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said before the game. “We'd like to keep him as long as possible, whether that's on the team or as depth. But I think trying to keep him stretched out is going to be the key.

"He's going to get a chance to pitch. He's going to get a chance to pitch pretty regularly. We know the compete factor that he has; [we’re] looking for that, too. It's a great opportunity for him."

In 2014, Hutchison made 32 starts and led the team with 184 strikeouts while recording the third-most innings among the starting staff. That performance earned him the Opening Day start in ‘15, in which he picked up the win vs. the Yankees. By mid-September of the season, though, he was moved to the bullpen, and he ended the year with a 5.57 ERA.

Hutchison appeared in three games for Toronto in 2016 before he was traded to the Pirates on Aug. 1. The next few years weren't so kind to the righty, as he opted out of multiple Minor League deals with various clubs and ultimately landed with the Tigers in ‘21 after a stint in the independent American Association.

In nine appearances in 2021, Hutchison sported a 2.11 ERA. Last season, he went 3-9 with a 4.53 ERA in 28 games (18 starts).

On returning to a familiar yet different environment with the Blue Jays, Hutchison said, "It's a little weird. It's good though. I have some familiarity with some of the guys.

"I thought it was my best opportunity. That's why I came back here. I'm just trying to go out there and compete and execute my game and go from there."