BSN Exclusive: Jon Gray opens up on his unique approach to staying in shape

DENVER – On the final day of the 2018 season, every member of the Colorado Rockies team that had just been swept out of the NLDS by the Milwaukee Brewers, stood at their lockers in front of reporters trying to make sense of it all and trying to look forward.

It was a palpably somber atmosphere. An exhilarating end to the season and the exuberance of the win in the Wild Card game over the Chicago Cubs – the biggest victory for the franchise in a decade – was replaced with anger, regret and disappointment.

But as most of the players looked back on a good season that ended in a bad way, and a few looked forward into their own uncertain futures, one member of the roster stood apart in terms of his attitude and tone.

It was unusual to behold given that Jon Gray had spent most of the season running gravel through his hair looking for answers while most of the rest of his clubbed trudged along with enduring confidence.

But there stood the Wolf of Blake Street, having been left out of the postseason proceedings altogether, standing steadfast and resolved to use every moment from that one to the first day of the 2019 campaign to get himself right.

He spoke candidly about issues with his weight and general health that plagued him all year long. And he told the group of gathered reporters that he was determined to tackle this issue head on and come back as a better pitcher.

And he has.

No, he has not yet returned to the type of pitcher who has think pieces on him debating what an “ace” even is.

But he has been solid at worst and clearly the Rockies second best pitcher this season.

He has been far more consistent and has yet to have a truly bad, blowup inning or game; the number one issue that haunted him a year ago.

And much of that can be attributed directly to the weight problem he vowed to fix.

“I feel like I’ve got my legs underneath me. My strength is there, I don’t feel weak,” Gray told BSN Denver. “It’s a good feeling and I’m just trying to stay there.”

So what exactly did he do? A new workout routine? A new eating regimen?

“A little of both,” he says. And he did so in a bit of a counterintuitive way.

“I really had to up my calorie intake so now I’m eating everything. I used to just eat chicken and steak with all this healthy stuff but now it’s literally everything.”

No strict rules on salads and protein shakes for the Wolf who is literally on the “see food” diet. See food, eat it.

He does mention that he lost “five or six pounds” once he began work again in Spring Training.

“But all the eating helps me keep the weight on. Then twice a week I lift legs heavy.”

All of this combines for a stronger “lower body and core” that he says “helps me drive through the baseball.”

The old adage says that to play good you have to feel good. And so far this season, Jon Gray has been feeling good.

He is in better shape physically and mentally than he ever has been. Now we see if he can put it all together and truly cement himself as a top-of-the-rotation starter.