Pedro Martinez: ‘Marcus Stroman’s Going to Be Better Than I Was’

There is no praise better than that from one of the greatest pitchers of all-time: Pedro Martinez.

If your name is uttered in the same paragraph, let alone the same sentence as Pedro, consider it gold. But Marcus Stroman might’ve received the highest praise Pedro Martinez has ever doled out to a young pitcher.

Pedro sat down with Buck Martinez and Pat Tabler during the Blue Jays/Expos exhibition broadcast, and among many things, they discussed one of the brightest young pitchers in baseball: Marcus Stroman. And Pedro had nothing but good things to say about him.

 
In case you missed that … Pedro Martinez told Buck Martinez off camera, “Marcus Stroman’s going to be better than I am.”

The two pitchers have often drawn comparison due to their relitavely short stature; with Pedro Martinez being 5’9 and Marcus Stroman being 5’8. But the two draw many parallels; Pedro spoke a little more in detail about Stroman.

“He’s a little bit stronger than I was. Even  though he’s a little bit shorter, he’s not Lincecum-like. This kid has so much talent, that kid doesn’t need to be any taller than that.

I got to see him in AA against our team in Portland and I saw him struggle a little bit. He was flying open and his slider was a little flat. We had the opportunity to interact a little bit. And then two months later, I got to see him mowing down the Red Sox.

And  I asked myself ‘Was it worth it … talking to the kid about his mechanics?’ I’m extremely happy for him, I can totally relate to him. This kid has a big of a heart of anybody in baseball and I love watching him pitch.”

Hat tip to Sportsnet for the video