Lugnuts Player Spotlight: Fitz Stadler

LANSING, Mich. via TORONTO, Ont. -Fitz Stadler, whose height measures 6-feet-9-inches, is the tallest pitcher in the history of the Lansing Lugnuts. Unsurprisingly, he comes from a tall family, with his father, Matt, standing at 6'2" and his two brothers, Walker and Sullivan, both coming in at around 6'4".
Throughout high school, the native of Glenview, Illinois, grew steadily, though he was already about 6'2 near the end of his freshman year at Glenbrook South High School, where he was the football team's captain as their quarterback.
"I've always tried to lead by example," said Stadler. "I don't really like to talk that much when it's game time, but when things need to be done, I put my nose down and just get it done."
Funnily enough, Stadler stopped playing basketball, perhaps the sport most likely associated with someone of his stature, after his freshman year, simply because he saw himself as more of a football or baseball player in the long run.

Influenced by his older brothers, Fitz committed to Arizona State, the same program that produced legends such as Barry Bonds and Reggie Jackson, and modern-day favorites like Dustin Pedroia, Andre Ethier, Jason Kipnis, Kole Calhoun, and former Blue Jay Eric Sogard.
Strongly focused on his academics as well, most of his family went to Indiana University, which is just an hour drive from his hometown.
"It was an experience that I had to have at some point," he said of his time at ASU. "It was beautiful, I loved the campus. It was funny walking around on campus seeing palm trees and then going home on winter breaks and having to shovel snow!"
Perpetually more tanned than any of his Illinoisan friends, Stadler grew significantly while at ASU, definitely benefiting from the fact that, in Arizona, he could play baseball all year round, as opposed to in Illinois, where he was at the mercy of the region's climate.
Notably, Stadler transitioned from the starting rotation, where he logged most of his high school innings, to the bullpen, where he lived in college. Though he admits that being a reliever limited his college innings significantly, he was still drafted by the Blue Jays in the 18th round of the 2018 MLB June Amateur Draft, something that surprised even him.
"I'm blessed to have the opportunity to play for the Blue Jays," he said. "Eventually it moved along so that I was playing in the Midwest League!"
After being drafted, Stadler was promptly assigned to Rookie-level Bluefield, where he appeared in five solid games, earning two wins and allowing just a single earned run while striking out 17 in 11.1 frames.
Thanks to the small-town hospitality and welcoming atmosphere in Bluefield, Stadler felt relieved that he didn't have to worry about school anymore and could focus solely on playing baseball and improving as an athlete.
In Vancouver, and during the offseason that followed his first professional campaign, the big righty grew stronger and improved his ability to control his sinker, resulting in more ground ball outs. For a pitcher with tremendous confidence in his defense, ground balls are perfect.
"I try to let my height kind of help me out," he said. "I'd like to keep the plane going down so it's hard to get a good angle. My [secondary stuff] is getting there, too."
One of the Lugnuts' most intimidating hurlers, Stadler has thus far pitched to an ERA of 5.13 in an even 100.0 frames this season, striking out 91 and starting 15 games. With a record of 5-7, he owns a WHIP of 1.56, and has appeared in 26 games overall.