DUNEDIN, Fla.

A commercial for Major League Baseball, starring Jose Bautista, plays on the television in the Toronto Blue Jays’ spring training clubhouse. A video game with Bautista’s picture on the cover peeks out from the top shelf of a locker. Ten rectangular boxes, each marked with the name Bautista on the side, are stacked on the floor, holding baseballs needing a signature. The best power hitter in the American League is in high demand.

The best power pitcher in the league also has a spot in the clubhouse, but no such fanfare surrounds Brandon Morrow. He struck out 10.188 hitters per nine innings last season — a better rate than that of Justin Verlander, C. C. Sabathia, Felix Hernandez and every other starter in the league. The figure strongly suggests a breakout coming for Morrow, who could be the pitching equivalent of Bautista: a high-impact talent at a reasonable price who took time to become a star.

“I’ve had strings of starts where I’ve been great, and strings of starts where I’ve been bad,” Morrow said. “If I get that consistency, I think I’m right there with anybody else.”

Many players can say that; no distinction is bigger than the ability to maintain a high level of performance. The difference is that Morrow, 27, really means it. He has a 4.62 earned run average in two years with the Blue Jays, and his career record is 29-30. But his highlights have been dazzling.