Toronto Blue Jays Kevin Gausman opened up during an interview earlier today regarding why he had such a tough time last season as it was his worst year in Toronto so far.
Gausman is hoping to bounce back this season after he following up his runner up Cy Young season in 2023 by his worst season in Toronto that started off terribly but eventually settled down a bit.
Blue Jays pitcher Kevin Gausman opens up about his struggles last season
Sportsnet interviewed the veteran pitcher this morning in which he spoke on last season and stated that he believes he can improve a lot this year, especially his ERA if he can stay consistent with his command of the bal.
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). - Nicholson-Smith
When asked about why last season went so poorly, Gausman admitted that he of course had the lingering injury but a big reason for his struggles was his poor mechanics when pitching.
«Last year that (mechanical issue) was a big reason why I was pretty inconsistent,» he said. -Gausman
Gausman also stated that he has come into camp the heaviest he has ever been because he knows he will lose weight throughout the season as all players do and he wants to give himself the best chance possible at staying healthy.
«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.» -Gausman
Well hopefully Gausman comes out of the gate strong this year, he has yet to pitch in Spring Training but will surely get a couple starts in before Opening Day.