Royals’ Strahm Piles Up Whiffs After TJ Return

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—Matt Strahm received no overtures from pro scouts and scant attention from college recruiters as an undersized lefthander with a 79 mph fastball at West Fargo (N.D.) High.

“My first day at campus weigh-ins, I was a 150-pound freshman,” said Strahm, who attended Neosho County (Kan.) CC, “and by the end of my sophomore year, I was 185.”

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Strahm grew from 6 feet in high school to 6-foot-3 at Neosho. His velocity increased to 94 mph as a sophomore.

Everybody was suddenly interested in Strahm. He eschewed a Nebraska scholarship to sign with the Royals, who drafted him in the 21st round in 2012.

After running up a 5.64 ERA in 19 relief appearances in 2012 at Rookie-level Idaho Falls, Strahm needed Tommy John surgery.

“Coming off that offseason into spring training I got hurt, and coming back from that injury I got hurt again,” said Strahm, 24. “I missed (about) 25 months of competition.

“I went through Tommy John (rehab) with six other players. We all had our bumps and setbacks. A lot of guys went smoothly, and in 10 to 11 months they were back. Mine took 14 months. It was a frustrating time, but I had great teammates with me in rehab.”

Strahm pitched exceptionally when he returned to full-time action in 2015, striking out 121 in 94 innings at low Class A Lexington and high Class A Wilmington. He averaged 13.2 strikeouts per nine innings.

The Royals added Strahm to the 40-man roster last November and started him this year at Double-A Northwest Arkansas, where he had recorded a 2.63 ERA in his first five starts, with 28 strikeouts in 27 innings.

He attributes his increased strikeout rate to Steve Luebber, his pitching coach with the Naturals and last season with the Blue Rocks.

“He taught me how to expand the strike zone up and down,” Strahm said. “I was primarily a fastball-curveball guy, just learning how to be effective with (those pitches).

“I couldn’t even tell you why I had so many strikeouts. I’m out there just pitching. Expanding the strike zone was huge, being able to elevate fastballs and get some swings and misses with that was big.”

ROYALTIES

• Lexington second baseman D.J. Burt went 0-for-5 on April 16, ending his streak of reaching base in 68 consecutive games, six short of Andrew Velasquez’s mark in 2014.

• Wilmington first baseman Ryan O’Hearn hit two inside-the-park homers in six days in April.