CLEVELAND – The Blue Jays’ top pitching prospect lit up the radar gun at the Futures Game Sunday, touching 100 m.p.h. with four of his 12 pitches in a three-up, three-down inning.
Nate Pearson, the Blue Jays’ first round draft pick in 2017, now ranks 16th among all prospects, according to Baseball America. The 22-year-old reinforced his status as an elite prospect Sunday, striking out two of the three hitters he faced with dozens of scouts and executives in attendance at Progressive Field.
"Really impressive," remarked one scout in attendance. From his spot in the third base dugout, Ken Griffey Jr. seemed to agree.
Nate Pearson on the mound = everyone on the railing seeing how the heater is gonna get — even Griffey pi c.twitter.com/p2ZVFtrDJL
— Cespedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) July 8, 2019
In 15 starts with Class A Dunedin and double-A New Hampshire, Pearson has a 2.39 ERA with 67 strikeouts compared to just eight walks in 49 innings. For much of the season, Pearson alternated between two-inning starts and five-inning starts but the shortened starts are behind him from here on.
A groin injury sidelined Pearson in late June, but he returned on July 3, allowing three earned runs over 1.1 innings for the Fisher Cats. If the 22-year-old’s progress continues, he’ll have a strong case for a promotion to triple-A–and eventually the majors.
While the Blue Jays’ rebuild features plenty of position players, the team doesn’t have nearly as much in the way of pitching prospects. Continued success from Pearson would go a long way toward moving this rebuild forward, but no one arm is enough. Realistically, double-A teammates such as Patrick Murphy, Yennsy Diaz and Zach Logue will also have to progress for the Blue Jays to compete in the AL East.
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