Pearson is pitching way into picture
Jays must decide whether to ease him into lineup in 2020
It’s not going to take teams very long to realize they better put up some early runs off Nate Pearson. If they don’t, they might not score at all.
Pearson, Toronto’s top prospect in the minor leagues, is the type of power pitcher who gets better as the game goes on. The looser he gets, the more comfortable he is reaching back for extra velocity. The closer he gets to the finish line, the less concerned he is about stamina.
The strategy was obvious during Pearson’s home debut at Triple-A Buffalo on Sunday afternoon. During the first three innings versus Pawtucket, it seemed like Pearson was almost toying with the opposition. There were flashes of upper-90s velocity but he seemed content to sit round 94 and 95 m.p.h. A casual observer might have wondered what all the fuss was about.
Then Pearson came out for the fourth inning and everything changed. The 23-year-old phenom started throwing gas, each pitch seemingly harder than the last. Pearson opened the frame at 97, went to 98 and then started consistently hitting 99.
The Red Sox batters had no counter to the heater, and by the time the count got to two strikes it was too late. Pawtucket’s lineup was forced to gear up for the fastball — as a form of self-defence
more than anything — and Pearson would respond by spinning a breaking ball or dropping a changeup. Pearson didn’t quite reach triple-digits on the radar gun like he did earlier this year, but it was an overpowering display.
“We saw the same thing in the first outing, he gets a little bit stronger as the game goes on,” Bisons manager Bobby Meacham said of Pearson, who allowed two runs on two hits over six innings.
The number of ugly swings increased as the game went on, and at times Pearson looked like a man pitching to boys. The discrepancy in talent, for a guy who has made all of two starts at this level, really was that large. After a two-run homer in a 26-pitch second inning created the first
adversity he has faced in Triple-A, Pearson bounced back by retiring 15 of 16 batters, at one point striking out five in a row. Outside of one minor blip, it was total domination.
Pearson is best known for his eye-popping velocity, but he’s developed into a more wellrounded pitcher since being taken with the 28th overall pick in the MLB draft two years ago.
Four of Pearson’s strikeouts on Sunday came on off-speed pitches. His slider has become, arguably, the best in Toronto’s minorleague system. Velocity alone won’t cut it at the big-league level, at least not as a starter, but the whole package is beginning to come together. There is a tendency to occasionally scatter his fastball, but he hasn’t walked a single batter in his last two starts and he has 114 strikeouts against just 24 walks over 24 starts this season. All positive signs.
Pearson is going to make his major-league debut next season. Barring a major injury, that much seems certain. The only question is when and how the Blue Jays are going to monitor the workload of a guy who still needs to build up a lot of innings before he can be considered a full-time starter over the course of a 162-game season. With stops in Dunedin, New Hampshire and Buffalo, Pearson has tossed 96 2/3 innings this season, which is by far his career high as a professional. Pearson likely has one start remaining in his minorleague season so he figures to get north of 100, but that’s a far cry the 170-180 range that it typically takes to get through the year.
So the Blue Jays will have an interesting choice on their hands next spring. Do they let Pearson compete for a job? Or do they ease him into camp and delay his start to the season until late April, potentially eliminating the need for him to be shut down in September.
Whatever path the Jays choose, Pearson is just looking forward to the day when innings limits are a thing of the past. He claims to be ready for the challenge and the reigns should start coming off slowly at some point midway through next year. He can’t wait.
“I feel great, I feel like I’m just now hitting stride,” Pearson said. “I had the innings limit thing going on in the first half, but I feel fresh and ready to go. I know I probably only have one more start left in the regular season, I just have to finish strong.
“Next year is another big year for me, just like this year was a big year for me to stay healthy all year. That’s what I did, and I need to carry that momentum into next year and have another great year.”