Understanding what makes Chicago Cubs right-hander Marcus Stroman great on the diamond requires understanding his mindset.
There’s his conventional view of success: make at least 30 starts, something he’s accomplished four times in his major league career. Stroman takes pride in that figure because he requires staying healthy, and that usually means throwing deep in games.
But he never puts too much emphasis on each start – it’s more about the totality of the journey and goes beyond what happens on the pitch.
Before and after each start, Stroman, 30, reads “The Seven Spiritual Laws and Success” and “The Four Agreements,” keeping a copy of each in his backpack. They help Stroman clear and calm his mind, which is just as important as the physicality of the game.
Stroman believes that the kind of energy a person puts out into the universe comes back tenfold. He is a deep thinker in search of enlightenment, and what drives him goes beyond the throw line and personal accolades of him. He loves taking care of his family and a small circle of trusted people. His son Kai Zen, born out of season, gives him a new perspective.
From a young age, Stroman prepared himself for the challenges he might face. He credits his father, Earl, for raising him to be thick-skinned and telling him he had to have a chip on his shoulder, that whatever room he walked into, Stroman needed to think he was the man.
“I took it seriously every day after that,” Stroman told the Tribune. “I am black-Puerto Rican, fully tattooed, have a degree from Duke – I understand the perception of how people look at me and judge me even before he opens his mouth. I understand society. I understand how I will be seen.
“I realize that if I say the sky is blue, someone will have a problem with that, so it got to the point where I don’t care. I am really happy, my family is healthy. I’m doing everything I’ve ever imagined in my life, so that’s always my priority.”
Stroman’s demeanor and attitude have resonated in the Cubs’ clubhouse despite only having four weeks to meet his new teammates. Coaches and players were impressed by your work ethic during the camp. Right-hander Kyle Hendricks praised Stroman’s mental focus and attitude.
“It’s really remarkable to see him come in and you can feel that he’s the same guy, in the same place, he’s very present, he knows where he is. It’s really cool to see,” Hendricks told the Tribune. “And you may or may not see it in a guy, he’s never in a hurry. He is never in the wrong place. He is noted mentally, very confident. It’s something he works a lot on.”
Beyond leading by example, Stroman isn’t afraid to share his thoughts. Hendricks cited the importance of needing representation of a variety of personalities in a clubhouse.
“You can’t have everybody play the same role, so it’s absolutely going to be great, he’s going to bring that out of other guys just by being willing and comfortable that way,” Hendricks said. “It will bring more truth and more honesty from everyone, and I think that builds cohesion and chemistry in the team.”
Individuality is generally not promoted in baseball. Stroman acknowledged that there is a perception that he is not a team player because he drives his brand.
“Truly, if you look at it, to be the best teammate, you have to be your best self first,” Stroman said. “I don’t think people understand that. To be the best teammate, I need to be the best I can be mentally, emotionally and physically. That allows me to bring the greatest value to my teammates, that allows me to go out there and perform at the highest level. That’s something I’ve always given priority to.”
Stroman’s interests are wide and varied.
His foundation, Height Doesn’t Measure Heart (HDMH), is a saying that the 5-foot-7 Stroman repeated to himself to instill confidence as a toddler. Stroman, who has also launched an HDMH clothing line, is in the process of launching Shugo in mid-summer and describes it as a high-end luxury brand.
He opened a YouTube channel last month and is on TikTok, both ways to give people insight into his life and the work he does behind the scenes.
Stroman wants to connect with young people in a sport that desperately needs him.
“I am an authentic soul that will always chase my dreams and I will not let anything stop it,” said Stroman. “I protect my people at all costs, and I toast to my people. That’s why I work as hard as I do.”
Stroman is always pursuing his passions, including music. He has appeared on tracks with former Duke teammate and rapper Mike Seander. Stroman is also in the process of writing a children’s book.
“People always say, ‘Oh, he’s doing too much,’ but it’s actually the opposite because I can promise you there’s no one who works harder than me,” Stroman said. “I also have interests that allow me to clear my mind. And when my mind is clear, that allows me to be the best in the field.
“I don’t allow baseball to become overwhelming because when you allow baseball to become overwhelming, it can be very exhausting and toxic.”
Over the course of his eight seasons in the major leagues, Stroman has learned to prioritize mental health. He works with a mental coach and a mental strategist. He wants to be well balanced and believes that happiness comes from within, allowing him to flourish in all other areas. Baseball doesn’t define his life.
None of this means that Stroman doesn’t care about winning or that he isn’t a fierce competitor. But athletes are human too, and there’s more to what goes on between the white lines.
“I’m someone who wakes up ready to live and I want to enjoy every day,” Stroman said. “Obviously there will be difficult moments. My hard times are much smaller now than they used to be, which is a great feeling.”
That philosophy would apparently be at odds with social media and the toxicity that can come from Twitter, on which Stroman is a regular with nearly 515,000 followers. He usually tweets daily and generously mutes and blocks people who bring negative energy.
Sometimes Stroman responds and returns it, explaining that “sometimes you have to check people out” and move on.
“They wear blocks like badges of honor. It’s so funny to me,” Stroman said. “If you get to a point in your life where you wear a block as a badge of honor, you need to recalculate, you need to go back to the drawing board because I guarantee you that you are not living a truly happy life. ”
Stroman admits that in the early part of his career, the things he read in his mentions could have affected him. He used to pitch angry on the mound. Now Stroman says that he is calm. He sees negative comments that tell him that he is terrible and that he can laugh at them for his reassurance. Living his dream puts everything in perspective “so no one can take that away. No one.”
Finding a way to let go and not worry about what others think of him was not easy. Stroman said it was a journey he began after he tore the ACL in his left knee in 2015. That’s when he started working with a mental coach and became interested in books. She came to understand what life means to him and learned to appreciate what makes him happy.
Stroman is still working on himself and he hopes it will be an ongoing and ongoing process. When he feels down, he might schedule a call with his mental coach or a therapist to refocus.
“I think a lot of people neglect it, and that’s why there are a lot of people on Twitter yelling at me,” Stroman said. “If they did a better job of focusing on themselves and clearing their minds and focusing on their deepest self and finding their true happiness in life, they’re not going to have that animosity or they’re not going to want to project all those insecurities onto others. Because when you do, you’re taking yourself away.”
When Stroman takes the mound Sunday for his Cubs debut, it will coincide with his first time pitching at Wrigley. The historic venue is the only ballpark he hasn’t pitched in yet. He has already felt the love and appreciation of fans before releasing a release. Stroman began to shiver as he imagined the energy he will experience as he enters the field on Sunday.
“Wherever I’ve gone, no matter how I’m feeling, people show up to see me pitch and I love that,” Stroman said. “I love the energy. I love the pressure. I am someone who has always performed quite well under pressure. It’s something that takes me to the next level.”
Many Cubs fans will wear Stroman’s jersey on Sunday for his debut. He traded to No. 0 last season with the New York Mets and kept it after signing a three-year, $71 million contract with the Cubs in the offseason that includes an opt-out after 2023. The number choice was intentional and is a rarity. Stroman is one of 31 players to wear the number in Major League history and is the first Cub to do so.
Your connection with the number 0 is not so much about the number itself, but about what the form represents: a continuous flow of life.
Or, as Stroman put it, “I like to get that vibe on my back.”
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