Marcus Earl Stroman (born May 1, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, and New York Yankees. Stroman's height is listed at 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 m), making him one of only six pitchers shorter than 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) to make a start at the MLB level in the 21st century.
Stroman attended Duke University, and played college baseball for the Duke Blue Devils. He was drafted by the Blue Jays in the first round of the 2012 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut with the Blue Jays in 2014. He won a 2017 Gold Glove Award. Stroman was named an All-Star in 2019, and the Blue Jays traded him to the Mets later in the 2019 season. He signed a three-year contract for the Cubs prior to the 2022 season and opted out of his third year at the end of the 2023 season.
On the international level, Stroman has represented both the United States and Puerto Rican national teams. With the U.S. in 2017, he was named the World Baseball Classic MVP and was named to the All-World Baseball Classic Team.
Stroman was born in Medford, New York, on May 1, 1991, to Earl Stroman and Adlin Auffant, who divorced when he was in the fifth grade. His mother is Puerto Rican, making him eligible to represent Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. His father is a police detective in Suffolk County, New York. Stroman has a brother, Jayden, and sister, Sabria. His cousin, Erskine Kelley, played minor league baseball with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs organizations.
In 1997, a six-year-old Stroman made an appearance on the Nickelodeon game show Figure It Out.
Stroman attended Patchogue-Medford High School in Medford, where he enjoyed a high school rivalry with Steven Matz, a friend and future New York Mets teammate, who pitched for the nearby Ward Melville High School. Matz and Stroman were teammates on the same elite travel team, the Paveco Storm, for several years in junior high and high school. The two were roommates during the Area Code Games and pitched against each other several times in high school, including a notable game on April 16, 2009, which was attended by more than 50 scouts from every MLB team.
Stroman was drafted in the 18th round of the 2009 MLB draft (532nd overall) by the Washington Nationals. He opted not to sign, and instead entered Duke University, where he played college baseball for the Duke Blue Devils baseball team.
At Duke, Stroman compiled a career record of 15–13 in 48 appearances and set the Duke record for career strikeouts (290 over 222 innings pitched). He was also a position player for Duke, making 97 appearances, mostly at second base and shortstop. In 2010 and 2011, he played collegiate summer baseball for the Orleans Firebirds of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL), allowed zero earned runs over 34 career innings with Orleans, was named a league all-star in 2010, and is a member of the CCBL Hall of Fame class of 2022.
On May 15, 2016, Stroman graduated from Duke University with a bachelor's degree in sociology.
Billed by analysts as the most major league ready player available in the 2012 MLB draft, Stroman was drafted by the Blue Jays 22nd overall becoming the first Duke player ever selected in the first round. After starting his professional career with the Low-A Vancouver Canadians, the Blue Jays promoted Stroman to the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats on August 1, 2012. Stroman was suspended for 50 games on August 28, 2012, for testing positive for methylhexanamine, a banned stimulant, which he claimed to unknowingly consume in an over the counter supplement.
Having completed his suspension, Stroman started and pitched five scoreless innings to get the win in the May 19, 2013, game for the Fisher Cats. On July 2, 2013, Stroman struck out 13 batters over 62⁄3 innings in a 3–1 loss to the New Britain Rock Cats. He was ranked as the number three prospect in the Blue Jays organization on July 26, 2013, when the revised Top 100 Prospects list was released.
Stroman attended the Blue Jays' 2014 major league spring training camp, and was assigned to the minor league camp on March 19. He was the 2014 Opening Day starting pitcher for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons.
Stroman was called up to the Blue Jays on May 3, 2014, after Brandon Morrow was transferred to the 60-day injured list. At the time of his call-up, he was considered the organization's number two prospect. He earned his first MLB victory on May 6, pitching 11⁄3 innings in relief of Drew Hutchison. Stroman was optioned back to Triple-A Buffalo on May 18, and was recalled on May 30 to make his first Major League start the following day. He pitched six innings and surrendered only one earned run on five hits, striking out six and issuing no walks to earn the win over the Kansas City Royals. On August 9, Stroman pitched nine innings for the first time in his career, but came away with a no-decision as the Blue Jays defeated the Detroit Tigers 3–2 in extra innings. He earned his first complete game and shutout on September 8, needing only 93 pitches to beat the Chicago Cubs 8–0. Stroman yielded only three hits, and at one point had retired 19 consecutive batters.
On September 17, Stroman was suspended six games and fined an undisclosed amount for intentionally throwing at Caleb Joseph during a game against the Baltimore Orioles. Immediately following the announcement, he filed an appeal of the suspension. On September 21, Stroman dropped his appeal, and MLB reduced his suspension to five games. It was announced shortly afterward that upon his return from the suspension, he would be moved to the bullpen for the remainder of the season. Stroman pitched four innings in relief of Drew Hutchison's final start of the season on September 26, and earned his first career save. He did not appear in the final two games of the Blue Jays season, and finished 2014 with an 11–6 record, 3.65 ERA, 111 strikeouts, and a 1.17 WHIP in 1302⁄3 innings pitched.
On October 6, 2014, Stroman announced through his Twitter account that he would change his uniform number from 54 to 6 in honor of his grandmother. During 2015 spring training, Stroman suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. He underwent a successful surgery, performed by Dr. James Andrews, to repair his ACL. Stroman was placed on the 60-day disabled list on April 5. While rehabbing from the injury, Stroman returned to Duke University to finish his degree, majoring in sociology with a minor in Markets and Management Studies.
On August 5, it was announced that Stroman would begin a rehab assignment later in the month. He threw off a mound for the first time following his injury on August 11, after receiving medical clearance the day prior. General Manager Alex Anthopoulos stated afterward that Stroman would be stretched out as a starter in his rehab. Stroman threw a 40-pitch simulated game on August 24, and a 51-pitch game on August 28. On September 2, he made his Class-A debut with the Lansing Lugnuts and pitched 42⁄3 innings, yielding no hits while walking one and striking out seven. He made his second and final rehab start on September 7, with the Buffalo Bisons. Manager John Gibbons confirmed on September 8 that Stroman would return as a starting pitcher, and make his 2015 debut against the New York Yankees on September 12. He was activated from the 60-day disabled list on September 11, and started the second game of a doubleheader the following day. Stroman pitched five innings and earned the win, yielding three runs before being removed due to a rain delay. He made three more starts, and finished the 2015 regular season with a 4–0 record, 1.67 ERA, and 18 strikeouts in 27 innings pitched.
Stroman played his first career postseason game in Game 2 of the 2015 American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers. He gave up three earned runs and struck out five, retiring 14 consecutive batters at one point. He pitched seven innings and received a no-decision in the loss. He started again in Game 5 of the same series, allowing six hits and two earned runs over six innings in an eventual 6–3 Blue Jays victory.