Photo credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
Eric Lauer publicly embracing his flexible pitching assignment is the selfless veteran leadership we absolutely love to see.
The starting rotation is currently overflowing with premium major league talent this spring. Finding enough innings for everyone requires pure sacrifice from the entire active roster.
Eric Lauer (Age 30, Drafted Round 1, 2016 by San Diego Padres) finds himself completely caught in this complex organizational numbers game.
He finished last season with a gorgeous 9-2 record and a highly impressive 3.18 ERA.
Racking up 102 massive strikeouts over 104.2 intense innings proved he completely belongs in a major league starting rotation.
He genuinely prefers to start baseball games right now. But his absolute willingness to pitch from the bullpen is a massive luxury for the coaching staff.
This veteran maturity completely changes the clubhouse dynamic
Every single fan feels a massive wave of pure respect seeing a proven winner put the franchise first today.
His incredible performance during our magical postseason run last fall absolutely saved the exhausted pitching staff when it mattered most.
Being the ultimate pitching counterweight allows the manager to slowly build up the workload of our brightest young prospects without rushing them.
Massive egos can easily destroy a talented locker room when daily playing time becomes suddenly scarce during the long summer.
Having an experienced left-hander ready to handle high-leverage multiple innings gives us a spectacular competitive advantage against division rivals.
Building a sustainable championship contender requires guys who genuinely care about their teammates over padding their own personal statistics.
He completely understands that a grueling pennant chase eventually requires every single healthy arm available to survive the long marathon.
Whenever his number is eventually called this season, expect him to attack opposing hitters with terrifying precision and total focus.
This phenomenal team-first mentality perfectly guarantees another spectacular push toward the World Series for our beloved city.
We absolutely love seeing established veterans set a perfect example for the hungry young kids arriving at spring camp.
Also read on Toronto Baseball Insider :
Toronto Blue Jays receive worrying MRI results for starting pitcher
Toronto Blue Jays receive worrying MRI results for starting pitcher
| POLL | ||
MARS 12|199 ANSWERS The Toronto Blue Jays are not sure what to do with Eric Lauer Will Eric Lauer pitch over 100 innings for the Blue Jays this season? | ||
| Yes | 130 | 65.3 % |
| No | 69 | 34.7 % |
| List of polls | ||