Calvary Christian alum impressing in first pro baseball season

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Landen Maroudis is living his best life with every pitch he throws. 

"This was my dream since I was a little kid," Maroudis explained. 

He was originally committed to play college baseball at North Carolina State. However, the Toronto Blue Jays used a fourth-round draft pick on the pitcher out of Calvary Christian High School last year, and Maroudis figured now was as good a time as any to start living that childhood dream.

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"I just felt like if I have the opportunity in front of me then I should take it," he said. 

Of course, it didn't hurt that Maroudis' commute to his dream job wouldn't be too long. 

"Yeah! A 20-minute drive, that's not too bad," Maroudis joked. 

Reporting to the Blue Jays complex in Dunedin, the 19-year-old got to start his pro career right in his own backyard when he learned he had made the Dunedin Blue Jays roster out of Spring Training this season. 

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"To hear that I was going to be on the roster to start the year was super exciting for me," Maroudis said. "It felt really rewarding with all the work that I have put in over the off season."

Meanwhile, it wouldn't take long for Maroudis to show the Blue Jays just what they got with the 121st pick in the draft. 

"Some guys, whether they come from the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, or a four-year college, are caught in the headlights a little bit, but he hasn't been that way at all," said Dunedin pitching coach Cory Riordan. "It is like he's been doing this for four or five years already."

Already acting like a seasoned pro, Maroudis has carved out his own place in the Dunedin Blue Jays' rotation as the team's regular Sunday starter. 

"Every Sunday, whenever I throw, there is always a big crowd here," he said. "It's really cool for my friends and family to come out to the games and support me and to have my parents right down the road from me is really cool." 

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Despite jumping right from high school to the minor leagues, Maroudis has, so far, flourished on the mound. 

"Guys are a lot bigger and hit the ball a lot harder, but it is the same game to me," he said. "It is just a batter, and it is me versus him in the box."

That isn't to say life in the minor leagues has been easy for Maroudis. 

"They've [the Blue Jays] really focused on letting me get through a 130-game season vs. a 30-game season in high school," he said. 

But with an ERA below 1.00, he already ranks as the Blue Jay's 11th best prospect in the organization.

"[He has] four good pitches and throws them over the plate," Riordan said. "The sky is the limit."

And, Maroudis hopes to test that limit, but never find it, as he continues his journey to achieve his dream job of pitching in the Major Leagues.

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