Blue Jays scouting director says Marcus Stroman is on fast track

See him in September? Perhaps. Marcus Stroman's goal of quickly reaching the big leagues could be realized, according to the Toronto Blue Jays, the team that made the former Patchogue-Medford High School and Duke star the 22nd pick in the first round of the Major League Baseball first-year player draft.

"If there's a player in this draft who has the ability to move quickly through our organization, it's him," said Andrew Tinnish, Toronto's director of amateur scouting. "Where ultimately does that mean we start him, I don't know. Time will tell. The ability is there, the makeup is there for him to move pretty quickly."

Tinnish said the organization has not decided if Stroman will relieve or start. "I don't want to sit here and say he's a reliever, which is what a lot of people assume we are thinking," he said. "He has the ability to start. I think he's proved that this year. He pitched 110 innings [at Duke]. He has the ability to maintain stuff late into a game. He's not like a kid whose fastball tails off a great deal when he gets later into the game. I wouldn't put anything past him. We want to explore all possible avenues with this young man."

Tinnish said Stroman's 5-9 height, which may have pushed him out of the top 10, was never a factor for the Blue Jays. "Height's not something that really stands out for me with him," he said. "It's more just his competitiveness, his makeup, his athleticism and obviously the pure stuff and ability he has. Certainly if there is someone who has the desire and work ethic to prove people wrong it's Marcus Stroman."