As the #8 prospect in baseball, Nate Pearson has some expectations. But none are too high for him, as he is a very talented baseball player. And in 2018, he even hit 104 MPH with a fastball! And he’s a starter!
Nate Pearson (b. August 20th 1996) is a 6’6″-245 pitcher who was drafted out of JC of Central Florida in the 2017 draft. His 2017 draft stock spiked upwards after he hit 102 MPH in a bullpen session. The Blue Jays took him with the 28th pick, and he was a monster in his 20 innings in 2017. He had a 0.90 ERA with only 7 hits and 5 walks surrendered.
In 2018, he was limited to 1.2 IP due to a fractured right forearm. In 2019, he came back strong going 5-4 with a 2.30 ERA across 3 levels reaching as high as AAA. He started 25 games while pitching 101.2 innings. His WHIP was 0.885.
Below are some quotes from mlb.com.
“He’ll enter 2020 on the cusp of the Major Leagues after finishing the previous year in Triple-A, but it shouldn’t be long until the right-hander, who has as high a ceiling as any pitching prospect in the game, becomes a fixture in Toronto’s rotation.”
While he famously hit 104 mph during a one-inning, 2018 AFL Fall Stars Game outing, Pearson’s explosive fastball usually sits in the 98-101 mph range as a starter.
His ratings on mlb.com are:
Fastball: 80
Slider: 60
Changeup: 55
Curveball: 50
Control: 55
Overall: 65
Overall, Nate Pearson should help the Blue Jays well into the future. He projects to be a superstar starter for a long time!!
This was part 4 in a 5 part series title “The Blue Jays Have Something Special”. As always, I hope you enjoyed!