#Mets’ Marcus Stroman feeling ‘equipped’ for high-stakes season

Marcus Stroman sounded downright excited about the high-stakes months in his baseball career to come. Even giddy.

A lot is riding on his right arm. He’s being counted on to be a force in the Mets starting rotation. He’ll become a free agent for the first time after the season.

Pressure? He smiled at the suggestion.

“I always have the utmost confidence in myself to go out there and perform,” Stroman said on Sunday on a Zoom call. “Pressure situations, I feel like I always sort of rise.”

Stroman talked a big game on Sunday, as he frequently does, using the term “dominate” to describe his personal expectations. There isn’t a batter in baseball he fears. In his mind, as long as he’s focused, “there’s nothing that can really stop me.” He called his sinker the best in baseball and raved about his conditioning.

The Mets, who dealt pitching prospects Anthony Kay and Simeon Woods Richardson for him last July, are counting on him to back up that big talk. The cocky, talkative, social-media active right-hander was supposed to replace Zack Wheeler in the rotation after he left for the Phillies. Instead, his role will be even larger, counted on in part to fill the void created by the season-ending elbow injury suffered by Noah Syndergaard in the first spring training.

“I feel like I should be able to step in to the [number] two, three, four, one, whatever it may be and go out there and dominate whenever I’m on the hill,” he said.

On Sunday, Stroman was up and down in a three-inning intrasquad outing. He walked the first three batters he faced, but the Long Island native didn’t allow a run, retired seven of the last eight batters and struck out three while throwing 47 pitches. It was symbolic of his time with the Mets last summer: A poor start and a strong finish.

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After taking time to adjust to his new surroundings as a Met last season — he had a 5.05 ERA through his first seven starts — Stroman feels more comfortable now, even amidst the lengthy delay due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. With a portable mound, gym and hyperbaric chambers at his Florida home, he arrived for spring training 2.0 in what he described as “the best shape of my career.” Manager Luis Rojas has raved about his conditioning and the positive energy he brings to the team.

Stroman plans to be a little different type of pitcher this year. He wants to throw his four-seam fastball more, to create more swings-and-misses up in the zone, which can in turn only help his bread-and-butter sinker and cut fastball to create more variety.

“I have some new weapons, man,” he said. “I’m equipped. I’m ready.”

He also sounded prepared for what will follow this season: The chance to decide his next landing spot. When reminded of that, Stroman smiled. He hadn’t thought about it from that vantage point before.

“I think I should be one of the top arms,” Stroman said. “I think I’m one of the youngest. I’m extremely healthy. I’m coming off a great year.”

“Great” is subject to debate. He went 10-13 with a 3.22 ERA and 159 strikeouts in 184.1 innings pitched. He was an All-Star with the Blue Jays, for the first time, and did finish well with the Mets, pitching to a 1.88 ERA over his last four starts after the rocky beginning.

A lot, of course, has changed since then. Wheeler left. Syndergaard got hurt. The season was shortened by 102 games. More is expected of Stroman, in a very short time span. He could determine the Mets’ season. His future may be intertwined with how he performs in this abbreviated season and that’s fine with him.

“I’m not scared,” he said, “of any situation.”