‘Big Nate’ brings the heat on cold day at Jays camp
Hard-throwing right-hander impresses teammates, coaches with lively repertoire
There was no radar gun recording Nate Pearson’s first live batting practice session here on Friday afternoon, but with the heat that was being discharged from his highly touted right arm, there was no need for one.
Instead, the looks on the faces of Randal Grichuk, Teoscar Hernandez and Vlad Guerrero
Jr. said all you needed to know about the velocity of the great Toronto Blue Jays starting pitching hope known as Big Nate.
In a 30-pitch workout at the team’s training complex, Pearson worked his way through his four-pitch arsenal but it was the rocket-like fastball that was particularly eye-catching.
It was especially so for hitters who got their first close up look at the team’s top-rated prospect. And you could tell by the head shakes — mixed with smiles — that some of the big bats on the Jays roster were pleased they won’t have to face Pearson as an opposing pitcher.
“He looked good, really good,” Jays centre-fielder Grichuk said. “Obviously, he’s tall and he kind of short-arms it. He’s a big guy out there and has a good delivery ...
“First time I’ve seen him in the box and he looked impressive. The fastball was firm and I didn’t have too much time to react.”
Overall it was a big day for Pearson, who talked earlier in the week about the excitement of throwing a live BP session to big-league hitters who should be his full time teammates by sometime this summer.
“I saw I was facing Vladdy and Grichuk and Te oscar; it was ‘you know what?, this is going to be a good test,’ ” Pearson said. “That’s pretty much a starting lineup right there. It was fun. I was messing around with Vladdy earlier and telling him I was going to throw him a first-pitch fastball man. He said OK, OK.
It’s pretty awesome. It’s my first big league training camp and I get to start. It’s all pretty exciting.
“We’re having fun with it. It’s always good to face your teammates and get the feedback from Vladdy and Grich and really learn what I can work on to be better.”
Add in the fact that it included the above mentioned three and it all became real. And earlier in the morning, it was revealed that the six-foot-six, 245-pound right-hander would get his first Grapefruit League start next Thursday when the New York Yankees are the visitors to TD Ballpark. May as well make your first start against big league hitters against a powerful division rival you in theory will face for seasons to come.
“It’s pretty awesome,” Pearson said shortly after his outing. “It’s my first big league training camp and I get to start. It’s all pretty exciting. My parents (live) here just down the road.
“I’m just going to have fun with it and get my work in.”
Give credit to Jays pitching coach Pete Walker for not bursting out in song and dance after watching Pearson work, though he clearly was impressed. Not one of the 30 pitches the former first-round pick delivered could be scored as a base hit and though there was no official measure, the fastball heat that has topped 104 miles per hour in the past was certainly in evidence.
“Obviously, in a live BP so the hitters are little bit behind, but he looked exceptional,” Walker said. “The stuff ’s coming out good. Delivery was solid. Fastball was good and I saw some good breaking balls today, which was really nice to see. The stuff is explosive. It’s really exciting to watch.
“I think for this part of spring, he’s right where he should be.”
And about the feedback from the Jays hitters who got their first taste of the Big Nate heat?
“They shook their heads a few times,” Walker said. “Definitely the velocity is exceptional, especially on a cold spring training day early in camp.”
Speaking of the chilly weather (by Florida standards, anyway), to get a window into the competitive and analytical mind of Pearson, even though he’s a native of the Sunshine State he was actually hoping there would be more of a chill in the air than the 12 C reading when he took the mound.
“I wanted it to be a little colder,” Pearson said. “The sun came out right about when I took the mound so it warmed up a lot. I wanted it to be cold so I could get used to it for Buffalo.” That’s where he will start the season, with the Triple-a Bisons.”