Marcus Stroman's children's book a big hit with Gerrit Cole
Yankees starting pitcher Marcus Stroman leaves the game in the second inning against the Phillies at MayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Fla., on Feb. 25. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
FORT MYERS, Fla. — When he learned during the offseason that they were going to be teammates, Gerrit Cole decided he wanted to get to know Marcus Stroman. So Cole picked up the book.
Not a book on Stroman’s pitching career. A children’s book, one of two written by Stroman before he joined the Yankees.
“He said he was reading it with his son,” Stroman said after throwing four hitless innings on Friday against Toronto in a spring training game. “I think he didn't know that I had a book coming over here.
“It’s loosely based around my upbringing as a kid, so I think he was just kind of asking me questions about how much of it was real, kind of what I experienced as a kid. Gerrit’s incredible, man. He’s always someone who's just trying to learn as much as possible and get better.”
The former Patchogue-Medford star, who already has his own line of apparel, branched out into being an author in 2022 when he was with the Cubs.
The first book is called “The Grip” and the second is “The Spin.”
Kirkus Reviews called the first part of the series “an action-packed, heartfelt story that elucidates the importance of mental health care to young athletes.”
Cole, who is famous for his meticulous preparation, included getting to know Stroman through his books and then offering his take as a literary critic.
“Gerrit’s cool, man,” Stroman said. “Gerrit’s cool. He sent me like a synopsis of one of my books. You know what I mean? Just like he sends a synopsis, breaking you down [as a pitcher], he sent me a breakdown of my children’s book.”
A third book in the Stroman series is planned for a May release.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
