The Nutshell: Resilience in the storm

Resilience and some luck have followed pitcher Michael Stryffeler through all his stops in baseball.

No Division I schools offered Stryffeler a chance to play, so he optioned for Division II Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio. It was an hour away from his hometown, but brought no guarantees of scouts watching.

One of his Lake Erie teammates attracted professional talent evaluators to the games and brought some luck in the process.

“His name is Luke Raley and he’s up top with the Mariners right now,” Stryffeler said. "He got drafted by the Dodgers in the seventh round from a Division II school. So, it’s very impressive, considering the level he was at. I think I lucked out in that regard because of him, there were pro scouts around, and who knows, maybe they saw me throw and like maybe they took a little note.”

Stryffeler never received any draft calls like Raley but still wanted to pursue professional baseball.

In the summer of 2018, Stryffeler ventured to Palm Springs, California, to play in a month-long showcase league. He had to pay for his own way to get there and was noticed by the Lake Erie Crushers of the independent Frontier League.

Stryffeler did not allow an earned run through his 11 appearances with the Crushers in 2019. Just over 90 days with the team, a scout with the Seattle Mariners signed him to a minor league contract.

“Indy ball just kind of fell in my lap, and then the Mariner scout also kind of fell in my lap a little bit,” Stryffeler said. “So, like I said, there was a lot of luck that goes into it, because you have to get seen and I was lucky enough to get seen.”

Piggybacking on a solid 2022 season with the Double-A Arkansas Travelers, the Mariners told Stryffeler he was heading to Sacramento, California, to meet the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers on the road.

When Stryffeler went to baggage claim, his phone rang with a change of plans, and clubhouses. The Mariners traded him to the San Francisco Giants at the August deadline.

“I went and got some barbeque at a spot by the hotel and sitting there, still didn’t get a phone call (from the Giants) yet,” Stryffeler said. “I’m watching ESPN, and they had the transactions on the bottom of who got traded, and I saw my name run across the bottom. It was a cool feeling to see my name like that.”

Stryffeler finished 2022 with the Sacramento River Cats and was assigned to the Flying Squirrels at the start of the 2023 season.

In just his fourth appearance of the year with Richmond, he felt an unfamiliar discomfort in his arm.

“I remember I threw a pitch, and it felt like the little inch caterpillars, like the real tiny ones, right?” Stryffeler said. “They’ll reach the front feet out and the back feet will come and there’s like a hump in it, and then it straightens out and there’s another hump. I felt that in my elbow. I felt something come up and come down, and it didn’t hurt but you knew in your head that it’s not supposed to happen.”

The MRI the following day showed Stryffeler endured a flexor strain and it required more time to heal. After an initial procedure, he was hit with another setback in a rehab game.

His fastball velocity was uncharacteristically low and his throws were giving him “excruciating pain.” A rehab coach patted him on the back, took him out of the game and the next step was Tommy John surgery.

The surgery took baseball away from Stryffeler for most of 2023 and all the 2024 season.

“It was very difficult. There are obviously times when you’re like ‘I don’t know if I want to do this anymore, what’s the success rate of these surgeries?’” Stryffeler said. “But luckily, there was another gentleman that also had surgery on the same day. So, I lucked out, because I had a buddy from day one to go through this stuff with.”

That buddy was former Flying Squirrels pitcher Cole Waites. The two of them relied on one another through the tough times. It made numerous appointments, physical therapy sessions and time away from the field go by quicker.

From his last rehab appearance in Arizona, to his first appearance this season, Stryffeler did not see a regular-season game in 594 days. Holding steady and being resilient has pushed him to get back.

“Everyone knows it sucks,” Stryffeler said. “Everyone around you understands you’re in a tough spot. You just have to be able to look yourself in the mirror an be like ‘Today is a new day.’”

Favorite baseball venue? – Las Vegas Ballpark and The Diamond

Are you a cat guy or dog guy? – Dog guy, definitely dog

Best movie of all time? – Gladiator, Remember the Titans, 300, and Dumb and Dumber

Who was your favorite baseball player growing up? – Travis Hafner

What is your spirit animal? – A hippo

What is your signature dish? – Similar to a Chipotle bowl, chicken, rice and veggies, stuff like that

Most inspirational person in your life? – My family