Blue Jays’ Gausman working to avoid same pitfalls as last season
With a month remaining before the season opener, there’s still lots of work to do. But already, Kevin Gausman can feel the difference compared to a year ago.
DUNEDIN, Fla. — Shortly after 11 a.m. Thursday, the classic rock stopped blaring over the portable speaker on Field 1 and silence fell over a gathering of Toronto Blue Jays at the team’s player development complex.
With a temporary screen in place for protection, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. reclined on the grass behind home plate alongside second baseman Andres Gimenez and special advisor Victor Martinez. Pitching coach Pete Walker knelt beside them, ready to call balls and strikes. And a few feet back, pitchers Alek Manoah, Jeff Hoffman, Bowden Francis and Chris Bassitt observed with interest.
“Here we go!” Walker shouted.
It was time for Kevin Gausman to get his spring started. Now granted, Gausman’s done this before. He’s entering his 13th big-league season but the importance of a healthy spring training has never been more apparent to the 34-year-old. Last year’s productive but frustrating season started slowly because of a lingering shoulder issue that he pitched through but perhaps shouldn’t have. This live batting practice session was Gausman’s first chance to build the early momentum that eluded him during the 2024 campaign.
“Yep!”
According to Walker, Gausman’s first pitch to Anthony Santander was a strike. A quick check of the radar gun revealed the velocity: 93 m.p.h. A few pitches later, an off-speed pitch eluded Santander, who Gausman remembers as a young teammate in Baltimore and, more recently, a 44-home run slugger who has developed into a consistently tough at-bat. Strike three.
“First time I’ve got him out in a while,” Gausman joked afterwards.
From there, the live BP continued with George Springer and Daulton Varsho taking turns alongside Santander. Gausman appeared to find a comfortable rhythm with catcher Alejandro Kirk, sitting 93-94 m.p.h. with his fastball and topping out at 95 — exactly where you’d hope he’d be with a month remaining before opening day.
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As he threw, Gausman worked on repeating his delivery, telling himself to land hard in front of the mound instead of leaking too far towards first base on his follow through. With more consistency, he believes he can command the ball better and improve on a season in which he posted a 3.83 ERA in 181 innings. If more consistent mechanics lead to better command, that could also help boost a strikeout rate that fell from elite levels in 2023 (31.1 per cent) to ordinary in 2024 (21.4 per cent).
“Last year that (mechanical issue) was a big reason why I was pretty inconsistent,” he said.
After 15 pitches, he took a breather while lefty Ryan Yarbrough took the mound in his place. While Springer poked fun at Guerrero Jr. and Santander tried to reckon with Yarbrough’s change-up, Gausman readied himself for Round 2.
This time, Springer crushed a line drive to centre field — a hit under most circumstances, though not necessarily in Toronto.
“If Daulton’s out there, that’s an out,” Bassitt said.
A few pitches later, Gausman reached 30 — enough for Walker to call it a day on this February afternoon. But as Gausman converged with Kirk and Walker for a short debrief, the reviews were positive. Most importantly, he felt good physically. But his stuff was also sharp, particularly the new slider he’s been developing.
“You might think it’s really good, but the hitters will let you know,” Gausman said.
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A year ago, the right-hander relied heavily on a sinker because he didn’t love the way his four-seam fastball was working. In 2025, he’d like to get back to the four-seam fastball while also relying on his trademark splitter and a new slider with more speed, less break and “a little cutter action” that could help neutralize lefties.
Physically speaking, Gausman is now a little “sturdier,” to borrow manager John Schneider’s description. Over the winter, he made a point to add some muscle since he tends to lose weight as the season progresses and he wants to finish strong.
“I’m a skinny guy, so if I’m losing weight it’s probably not a good thing,” he said. “I’m always trying to come into camp as heavy as I can be. I’m probably going to be the heaviest right now that I’ll be all year. It’s just how my body works. I’m trying to give myself more at the top end (of the season), so there’s more left at the back end. That food in Louisiana’s pretty good, too.”
After Thursday’s outing, Gausman is on track to appear in a game sometime next week at which point he’ll likely pitch two or three innings. He’s now on track to be able to finish spring with a pair of five-inning, 75-pitch Grapefruit League outings — something he didn’t get the chance to do a year ago.
With a month remaining before the season opener, there’s still lots of work to do. But already, Gausman can feel the difference compared to a year ago.
“Big time,” he said. “I feel pretty confident I’m in a good spot, right now. I had a good day. So obviously I’ll come in (Friday) and see how I feel, but there’s a night and day difference compared to last year.”
