Q&A: Mack & Teddy with: P Tim Stronach

Mack: Tim, it's Mack from Mack's Mets. Thanks for joining us here on my site. First question is pretty simply. The Mets drafted you 22nd in the 2006 round, out of Worchester State College. Tell us what that day was like?


Tim: The day of the draft was a bit nerve racking because this is the day most every kid dreams of. The minute I received the phone call was surreal. It was my dream come true to get the chance to play professional baseball. I know there was still a long road ahead of me, but this was what I worked so hard for my whole career and it paid off. It was just a great day in all for my family, friends, and I.

Teddy: Hi Tim, this is Teddy Dziuba. I have two question, the first being: I always enjoy hearing perspective from DIII college players on what it was like making the jump to pro ball. Tell us what it was like coming from Worcester State?

Tim: Hey Teddy. The jump for me coming from Worcester State to pro ball was quite a large one. The lineups your facing in pro ball are like facing the three hitter in college, but the three hitter is batting one through nine in pro ball. You get a good hitter out in pro ball you know there is another one on deck right after. Also in college you could get away with a few mistake pitches here and there but they will jump all over it in the pros. It was quite a transition to make the jump but you learn so much more when you do that when a situation arises you know what to do to get the out.

Mack: This is Mack again... Teddy will be back later. So, 2008 comes and it must have been a little confusing... three teams... a starter in Brooklyn... a reliever for Lucy... one game in Savannah... but you survie that and go back to Lucy in 2009, start off once again as a reliever, but finish strong starting for 7 of your last ten games. stats of 3-3, 3.42 for the 10 games... crazy year?

Tim: The last two years have been pretty crazy for sure, with 2008 being the craziest from st lucie to savannah to brooklyn and back to st lucie. But when they give me the ball I just pitch. Although I like starting the best, Ill relieve when called on. Last year I finally settled down a bit getting that long stretch of starts. Once I had a role that I knew was going to last a bit I became more comfortable and had a routine that worked out well.

Mack: I understand you will be rehabbing most of the 2010 season. What the heck happened?

Tim: I had some surgery done in the offseason. Over the last three years I had some shoulder pain that would come and go. After we would rehab it, it would feel great. Well the past season it just became unbearable, so we decided to get it looked at and figure something out. In the end I had to have my labrum repaired and some bone spurs removed as well.

Mack: Sooo... you may wind up back in Savannah again for rehab?

Tim: Not too sure what they have in store for me this year

Teddy: Tim, it's Teddy again... back to that tryout you and I attended together. What did management say to you after you threw that day?

Tim: Teddy, I didnt really get much feedback that day. I was like the 5th kid to throw so I threw and then made left to make the treck back home. All they really said to me that day was good job. In the following days my scout told me that they liked me. They liked my stuff, but they liked my build even more. They were hoping that my tall lanky frame would fill out!

Mack: Well, thanks Tim for the time and we’ll see you in extended camp later this season.

39. Tim Stronach – RP – AA – 24/yrs.


Stronach comes out of Haverhill, MA. and played college ball at Worcester State College. In his sophomore campaign, Tim was 6-0 with a 2.45 ERA and a .209 batting average against. That year, Tim helped lead the Lancers to their first win in an NCAA Regional Tournament game. 2006 was his junior year where he compiled a 3.72 ERA and struck out 71 batters in 65 innings. So much for the senior year.

Stronach was drafted in the 22nd round of the 2006 draft. He pitched for Worchester State College, where he only went 3-7 in his last year with a 3.72 ERA; however, he had 71 Ks in 55.3 innings. 2006 was Stronach’s first year in the Mets organization and he impressed at Kingsport, starting 13 games and posting a 4-2 W-L , 3.76 ERA profile. His opening game for Kingsport was nothing less than spectacular, against the Johnson City Cardinals, where he threw five shutout innings, facing the minimum 15 batters. He gave up only one hit and then he promptly picked the runner off first base.

OnDeck updated their end of the year 2006 ratings for the Appalachian Leauge and ranked Stronach as the 35th overall (132.46 rating) starting pitcher in the league. He has added a changeup to his fastball, curveball, and slider. The fastball has been consistently clocked between 87 and 92 MPH.

Stronach started the 2007 season at Savannah (2-7, 5.45, 1.44, in 14 starts), but was farmed off to Brooklyn around the All-Star break (4-2, 3.42, 1.74, in 11 appearances, 4 starts).

In September 2007, Baseball America ranked Stronach as the 20th top SAL pitcher in ‘groundout-to-flyout ratio”.

In 2008, Stronach continued to struggle, pitching a combined 5-7, 4.96 for Savannah, St. Lucie, and Brooklyn.

In 2009, Stronach pitched the entire season for St. Lucie. He started eight games, one of which he threw a no-hitter. He also relieved in seven more games. He established himself by the end of the year as a starter and went 3-3, 3.42 in his last ten games (which included seven straight starts to end the season).

Forecast: The Mets still haven’t figured out whether Stronach is a starter or a relief pitcher, but you have to have some talent if you can throw a professional no hitter, right? Obviously, the 6-5 24-year old is ready for AA ball, but with Mejia, Holt, Shaw, Moviel, and Kaplan already projected there, how does he get in the rotation?