'Definitely a good sign': Gausman exudes confidence after strong spring debut

BRADENTON, Fla. -- The beauty of the Blue Jays’ rotation lies in its predictability. It’s led by four veterans who, if all goes well, will be rock solid and reliable in every way.

Upside is too often left out of that conversation -- perhaps reserved for the “young buck” of the group, Bowden Francis -- but Kevin Gausman can force that back in.

It’s barely March, but when you consider Gausman’s track record, the flashes he showed in his Grapefruit League debut Wednesday in Bradenton were extremely encouraging. He’s healthy this spring, “sturdier” thanks to putting on some offseason weight, and everything looks so much better than it did a year ago, when Gausman was stuck chasing Opening Day after some right shoulder fatigue slowed his start to camp.

“This is a lot different than last spring,” Gausman said.

Gausman touched 96.2 mph over 1 2/3 innings against the Pirates and averaged 94.9 mph with his fastball, 1 mph above where that pitch sat a year ago (93.9). It’s too early to care about strikeouts and whiff rates for a veteran like Gausman, who uses spring starts to get a feel for certain pitches in certain spots, but once the season finally gets here, that’s where all of the attention should be.

“Last spring, I think it was a lot harder to get to 86, especially those first couple of weeks,” Gausman said. “That was definitely a good sign, but more than anything, I was throwing my offspeed really hard, which is a good sign.”

The glaring difference between Gausman’s excellent 2023 season and ‘24 was his strikeout rate, which dropped from 31.1% to 21.4%. This isn’t a matter of decimal points. We’re talking about a couple of strikeouts each appearance, creating a major difference between Gausman’s ‘23 and ‘24 seasons. You can tie that drop in strikeouts to Gausman’s splitter and slider, the two pitches he’s leaned on to miss bats.

Splitter: Whiff rate dropped from 43.2% to 33.5%

Slider: Whiff rate dropped from 35.3% to 26.6%

“Command,” Gausman said, quickly identifying the one difference. “That’s more important than anything. If you look at last season, I don’t know how many walks I had, but it was a lot, especially compared to the two years before, even the three or four years going back. When I’m able to throw my fastball in the zone and when the splitter carries it, that’s when I get the strikeouts.”

Granted, in 2024, Gausman still posted a 3.83 ERA over 181 innings. It’s almost cruel to frame that season as a “step back," but Gausman’s talent is so incredible to watch at its peak. Even battling through a slow spring and missing fewer bats, he put together a stat line most starters in this league chase every year.

Gausman is 34 now. He knows, as well as anyone, that pitching at 34 feels different than 24, but he’s worked over the years to find a sweet spot, one which allows him to be just as strong down the stretch as he is in April and May. Gausman and the organization have developed a bit of a different plan this season, trying to recapture the full magic of his 2023 season.

“Working through that with him was important throughout the offseason, adjusting his throwing a little bit,” manager John Schneider said. “We built him up accordingly so that the first outing isn’t just one inning or two innings. We want to make sure that he’s good to go. He’s in a really good spot. Like anything, you try to make adjustments year-to-year and you want to keep the player involved with that, too, especially a veteran.”

Gausman’s ceiling in 2025 is so important because, by this point, we understand where this team’s floor is. This is a team -- and rotation -- stacked with established veterans. While Francis fills a fun role as the No. 5, trying to carry over the momentum from his near no-hitters into a new year, Gausman feels like this group’s best bet to truly raise the ceiling and change the trajectory of this team.

If the Blue Jays have Gausman standing on top of a solid rotation, that’s where the real fun starts. A reliable rotation is a great starting point, but Gausman can make this group something more.