*Prized free agent right-hander Kevin Gausman will make his regular season debut with the Toronto Blue Jays today at Rogers Centre. We thought it would be a good time to re-run this feature about Gausman that was published on December 1.

December 1, 2021

By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

The Baltimore Orioles were in the midst of a spring training drill with base runners simulating live action one morning in Sarasota.

And at times, pitchers wound up covering third base and taking the throw.

Former No. 1 pick Kevin Gausman from LSU yelled “BALL! BALL! BALL!”

That was not the proper terminology the Orioles used under manager Buck Showalter.

“Well, that’s the way we did it at LSU ...” Gausman replied, according to Showalter.

Showalter explained to Gausman that Sarasota and Baltimore were not the same as LSU’s Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, La.

The Blue Jays have signed the San Francisco Giants free agent to a five-year, $110 million contract. Robbie Ray, the American League Cy Young Award winner, headed to the Seattle Mariners on a five-year, $115 million deal, with the ability to opt out after three years.

“If someone asked me who I would take, my answer would be Robbie Ray probably in the short term, but in the long term I would take Gausman,” said the three-time manager of the year.

Gausman was selected fourth overall in North America in the 2012 amateur draft.

“Kevin is solid, I think pitching for San Francisco did him well,” Showalter said. “It tells you something about him ... coming back to the American League East. He ain’t scared. He’s probably a No. 3 on championship club maybe a No. 2.”

* * *

Orioles general manager Dan Duquette met with scouting director Gary Rajsich early in 2012 and they decided their first-round pick would be the best college pitcher available. Who would that be?

The Baltimore brain trust narrowed it down to three possibles: RHP Kyle Zimmer, from the University of San Francisco, who went fifth overall to the Kansas City Royals and Stanford RHP Mark Appel, who didn’t sign and went first overall in 2013. Rajsich got it right.

Zimmer made three starts pitching in 83 games (95 1/3 innings) for the Royals, while Appel was at triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2021 after being out of the game for four seasons. He has not reached the majors. Gausman’s next start will be his 198th in the majors.

Rajsich, now the scouting director of the World Series champion Atlanta Braves, saw Gausman pitch twice before drafting him: in the season opener against Air Force and in the SEC conference tourney facing Ole Miss, in his final start before the draft.

“Against Air Force, he dominated after the first inning,” Rajsich said.

And in the first?

“He gave up one of the longest home runs I’ve ever seen ... oh boy,” said the former scouting director. Air Force’s LF Garrett Custons went deep. Gausman allowed one run on four hits and two walks while striking out seven in six innings in a 10-2 win.

“In the conference tourney, he dominated from the start, he sat at 96 mph,” said Rajsich.

Gausman pitched seven innings, allowing two runs on seven hits and a walk, while fanning seven to move to 10-1. He left with a 4-2 lead on the way to an 11-2 win over Ole Miss.

“We liked him, our area scout, Dave Jennings (brother of former Florida Marlins GM Dan Jennings) loved him,” Rajisch said. “He had a 70 fastball (on a 20-to-80 scale) and a 70 change, his breaking ball was just coming along. He’s a great make up kid. He’s humble and soft spoken, not arrogant. He’s a confident competitor.”

Baltimore chose Gausman fourth overall in North America behind first overall pick Carlos Correa from Puerto Rico who went to the Astros. Baxley, Ga. high school OF Byron Buxton (Minnesota Twins) and University of Florida C Mike Zunino (Seattle Mariners). Gausman was given a $4.32 million signing bonus.

* * *

LSU coach Paul Mainieri never expected Gausman to show on campus in the fall of 2010. The Aurora, Col., high schooler had been selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the sixth round. These were not the 2021 Dodgers. The 2010 Dodgers were co-owned by Frank and Jamie McCourt, who were in the midst of divorce proceedings.

“Things didn’t work out with the Dodgers, so he ended up with us,” said Mainieri, who managed St. Thomas, Fla. (1983-88), Air Force (1989-94), Notre Dame (1995-2006) and LSU (2007-21) for a total of 39 seasons running up a 1,501-775-8 record.

“Even though Kevin threw real hard, he didn’t have real consistent success until the end of his freshman season when he started to develop that change up-splitter of his,” Mainieri said.

As a freshman, he was 5-6 with a 3.51 ERA for the Tigers in 14 games walking 23 and striking out 86 in 89 2/3 innings.

“We only had him for two years since he was a draft eligible sophomore,” said Mainieri. “He was dominant his draft year. Really dominant.”

Gausman was LSU’s Friday night starter. He was 12-2 with a 2.77 ERA in 18 games -- making 17 starts -- as he walked 28 and fanned 135 in 123 2/3 innings.

“I’m ecstatic for him, he’ll do good things for the Blue Jays, he’s with a team that has a good chance just as he’s coming into his own.”

Mainieri coached some talent at LSU ... like Aaron Nola of the Phillies, Alex Bregman of the Astros, Yankees’ DJ LeMahieu, Jake Fraley of the Mariners, Will Harris and Andrew Stevenson of the Nationals, Jacoby Jones and Alex Lange of the Tigers, Austin Nola of the Padres and Diamondbacks’ Riley Smith.

“We have a program here we’re really proud of, we’ve turned out a few,” said Mainieri who retired at the end of the 2021 season.

At Notre Dame, Mainieri coached John Axford (Port Dover, Ont.) and was pals with hockey coach Dave Poulin -- now of The Toronto Star.

“I love John Axford,” the coach said “and Poulin was one of my better friends at Notre Dame.”

* * *

Gausman was 39-51 with a 4.22 ERA in 127 starts with the Orioles, then was dealt to the Braves at the trade deadline along with Darren O’Day for Evan Phillips, Bruce Zimmermann, plus minor leaguers Brett Cumberland and JC Encarnación plus international bonus slot money. When Gausman was an Oriole, Baltimore made the playoffs twice sweeping the Detroit Tigers in the ALDS and getting swept by the Kansas City Royals in 2014 ALCS and losing the 2016 AL wild card game to the Blue Jays.

“He came into camp with us very humble, he didn’t have all the answers,” Showalter said. “He always had a good split -- some call it a change. I can’t say I’m surprised he came back. He has learned that more is not always better. He won’t make an excuse after a bad outing.

“His substance is his style, his style isn’t his substance.”

In Atlanta he was 8-10 with a 4.77 ERA in 26 starts and 0-2 with a 4.03 ERA pitching in relief with the Cincinnati Reds. The last two seasons with the Giants he was 17-9 with a 3.00 ERA in 43 starts.

* * *

Rajisch was a pro scout when Gausman was eligible for the draft out of high school, so he did not see him pitch but says “I talked to scouts who saw him then and they said he threw hard. We tweaked his delivery a little. He’s an easy kid to root for. I haven’t spoken to him since we were together with the Orioles, but I watch him on TV.”

With the Orioles, Rajisch was scouting director for seven seasons. In all, he drafted 282 players.

“From a personal standpoint, I’m proud of how well he’s done,” Rajisch said. “He was my first draft ever as a scouting director.”