PlayStation Canada invited us to a private event for MLB The Show 18 to celebrate the game and cover athlete, Marcus Stroman.
Marcus Stroman (born May 1, 1991) is a pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays. Born in Medford, NY he was selected 22nd overall by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2012 Major League Baseball draft. In November 2017, Stroman was named the winner of the MLB American League Pitcher’s Gold Glove Award. He also led Team USA to its first World Baseball Classic championship in 2017 and was named the tournament MVP.
A swing and a miss!
It became very apparent to me yesterday that even in MLB The Show 2018 I should’ve known better. There I stood at the home plate eagerly waiting to swing, that I didn’t stand a chance – Stroman was on the mound. Now I’m awkwardly sitting on by far the comfiest couch blaming the controller for my poor performance.
Since his days in the Cape Cod League after his sophomore year at Duke, it was obvious we would see bigger things from Marcus Stroman. When MLB The Show 2018 was announced was anyone really surprised to find Stroman wrapped on the cover. Absolutely not!
While waiting in the midst of my 3rd Inning, I caught myself questioning and second-guessing MLB The Show 18 and its ultra-realistic graphics, the majority of the time thinking I was actually engulfed in a scheduled MLB game. At times I would stare at the screen in disbelief, followed by my constant chirps at the controller for my fouls, swings, and misses. Now, at the bottom of the third, it was my time to sit down with Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman to talk about being chosen for the cover of MLB The Show, the offseason and all things Stroman!
Lisa: We’re here to talk about being the Canadian cover star of MLB the show 18, where were you when you found out and how did you feel about it?
Marcus: I was home when I got the call from my agents, They were like “Hey, MLB The Show wants you to be on the cover.” What? I was in shock at first but in awe. Feeling so grateful. It’s a testament to everyone who is in my corner. Everything that we did to get to where we are at now. It was pretty gratifying for my family to see me on the cover of the main game I played growing up, it was really special.
Lisa: Talking about The Show I know Aaron Sanchez says he uses The Show as a scouting report, have you used it to gauge your opponents at all?
Marcus: I don’t, I don’t at all but there are people who like you said who do. It’s so realistic you can definitely gage your opponents with it.
Realistic is definitely an understatement!
Lisa: Playing MLB The Show 18, do you enjoying pitching as yourself or do you always choose someone else?
Marcus: Someone else always! I find it a little weird! I have played myself to get it out of the way though, you have to.
Lisa: As someone who is very familiar with baseball, I always watched the coach walked over to the mound and whisper into the pitcher’s ear to ease their mind, and help de-stress, have you had coaches or pitching coaches who have done that for you?
Marcus: Yeah! For Sure! Probably things I can’t say in this interview, but definitely things to lighten the mood like you said. It’s stressful out there sometimes. The guys will come to the mound to get a chuckle out of you. Make light of the situation.
Noticing Stroman fashionably attired as always – topped with a Gucci fitted, it was a guarantee we were about to discuss fashion and his clothing line “HDMH” – Height Doesn’t Measure Heart!
Lisa: With regards to your clothing line HDMH – (Height Doesn’t Measure Heart ) how important is it to promote and spread the message of working hard and becoming anything you want to be?
Marcus: Huge! I’ve realized I’m a role model and have a large following of people reaching out from all walks of life, different ethnicities, different ages. I just had a sixty-five-year-old man tattoo “HDMH” on his body just because he believes in the message and everything behind it, which is pretty special. HDMH is run by my family only: my mom, my sister, my brother-in-law are the only people who touch the company. They package everything, they print the shipping labels, they’re doing it all. It’s very close to my heart. It started as a phrase I started saying and that my family started to believe in. Now it’s here at this point and people identify with my story and my work ethic. If I can be one who preaches work ethic and to shape the young minds of the wave of individuals coming up, I would love to be apart of that!
Lisa: You guys travel a lot, are you reading, watching movies, playing games?
Marcus: I definitely play PlayStation 4! I play The Show once in a while. I do read a lot. I’m usually reading up on technology, business, or ways to personally grow as an individual and in business. I love reading, I think it’s a way to truly grow, and being able to pick up a new stance or perspective.
I love movies and there are definitely a couple of shows on Netflix I keep up with: Billions, Power, Ozark, Seven Seconds.
As a fan of Billions and Ozark myself, a discussion of which episode we were on casually took place.
Lisa: What’s the ideal day for you, is there something in particular you do on a day off to clear your head?
Marcus: On my day off honestly I just like to get away, and just be normal. Just Kick it. Have a normal breakfast, maybe go see a movie, have a drink with some friends, just keep it very casual. We play so many games daily, that those off days you do everything you can to clear your mind and just put yourself around your family and friends. You don’t have the opportunity to see them a lot of the time, we’re at the park from 1:00 PM to 11:00 PM everyday.
Those off days are essential to clear the mind.
As the chat begins to wrap up, I have one question for you, okay maybe two. Have you picked up your copy of MLB The Show 2018 ? What are you waiting for?
Get your copy of MLB The Show 18 here and feel free to read our review.
Good Luck to the Toronto Blue Jays for the 2018 Season ahead!
