Nate Pearson

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Nathan Alexander Pearson

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Biographical Information[edit]

Pitcher Nate Pearson was the 28th player selected in the 2017 amateur draft, by the Toronto Blue Jays out of Central Florida Community College. He had started his college career at Florida International University in 2016, but had transferred to a junior college after his freshman season to get a chance to pitch as a starter. By draft time, he had flashed 100 mph on the radar gun, making him a clear candidate to go in the 1st round. He was the Blue Jays' second selection in the draft, following Logan Warmoth with pick #22, and the pick was compensation from the Cleveland Indians for signing DH/1B Edwin Encarnacion as a free agent. His health was a concern though, as he had screws inserted in his elbow in high school.

He made 8 starts in the Blue Jays' system in 2017, with two different teams, but pitched only 20 innings as the Jays wanted to limit his innings. He was lights out during his brief time on the mound, though, with an ERA of 0.90 and a 26/5 K/W ratio. A freak injury limited him to just one appearance in 2018, with the Class A Dunedin Blue Jays, when he was struck in the forearm by a batted ball and broke a bone. However, he recovered in time to pitch in the Arizona Fall League. In spring training in 2019, the Jays were torn between the fact that his stuff was almost at major league level, but that the team would need to be careful with him given his history of injuries. He made it all the way to AAA that season, after starting off at Dunedin, and had eye-popping numbers: a 5-4 record with a 2.30 ERA in 25 starts, and 119 strikeouts in 101 2/3 innings. He was considered the consensus top pitching prospect in the organization and appeared in the 2019 Futures Game. The Blue Jays deliberately delayed his major league debut in order to limit their workload, but it was clear that, unless there were health issues, it would take place sooner rather than later during the 2020 season.

Indeed, while he did not open the 2020 season on the 30-man roster, he was added in time for the 6th game to start against the Washington Nationals on July 29th. It was technically the Blue Jays' home opener, even if played at Nationals Park. He was matched up against Nationals ace Max Scherzer but matched him pitch for pitch, tossing five scoreless innings and touching 99 mph in striking out Carter Kieboom to end the 4th. He was everything the Blue Jays had been waiting for in this first taste of the Show. However, his next outings were not so good as he allowed a total of 15 runs over his next three starts, then went on the injured list. He returned on September 25th, when he made one relief outing and earned his first big league win against the Baltimore Orioles. He pitched impressively enough to be added to the team's postseason roster. He made one appearance in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, pitching two innings in relief after an early exit by ace Hyun-Jin Ryu. He was very impressive, retiring all six batters he faced, including five on strikeouts. Overall for the season, he was 1-0 with an ERA of 6.00 in 18 innings.

In 2021, he was again hurt in spring training and started his season in AAA with the displaced Buffalo Bisons. On May 9th, he was called up to make a spot start with Toronto, but it went badly as he allowed 3 runs in 2 1/3 innings, on 4 hits and 5 walks. He was charged with the 7-4 loss to the Houston Astros. He returned to Buffalo where he struggled before going on the injured list again. In the meantime, he was passed by Alek Manoah on the Jays' depth chart, as Manoah pitched very well after being called up to Toronto and earned a permanent spot in the starting rotation. When he returned in Buffalo, he was in the bullpen and pitched well enough to be one of two players added to the major league roster when it expanded to 28 players on September 1st. However, in his first outing in relief against the Oakland Athletics on September 3rd, he allowed 2 runs in 1 inning and did not look particularly sharp. His next outing, two days later, went much better as he struck out the side to close out an 8-0 win. He ended up going 1-1, 4.20 in 12 major league games that season, with just 1 start. He struck out 20 in 15 innings, but also walked 12.

In 2022, he did not pitch in the majors at all, as he was sidelined by mononucleosis during spring training, then saw his season ended by a lat strain in June while he was working his way back to the majors. He was 2-1, 3.55 in 11 games for Buffalo, then pitched brilliantly for the Tigres del Licey in the Dominican League that winter, going 1-0, 0.75 in 12 games. In 2023, he started the season in the minors, then made his return to Toronto on April 25th. Used strictly in relief, he pitched well at first, as his ERA was 1.69 at the end of May, but that was wrecked when he gave up 8 runs in a two-game span in mid-June. He never really recovered from that, spent more time in Buffalo in August and September, and only made 3 major league appearances after August 1st. Overall, he was 5-2, 4.85 in 35 games, with his first career save, and struck out 43 batters in 42 2/3 innings. In 2024, he had a strong first month, with an ERA of 1.80 in 11 appearances in March and April, this coming when two mainstays of the bullpen the previous year, Jordan Romano and Erik Swanson, were injured, but hopes for a breakout season were soon dashed as his ERA was 6.35 in May and 7.59 in June. He was briefly sent down to Buffalo in April but was called back three days later before having appeared in a game for the Bisons, then stayed in the majors for the next two and a half months even though he was pitching poorly because the Jays were short of healthy arms. He would have a dominant outing once in a while, but was plagued by the gopher ball, giving up 8 homers in 40 innings. He was 0-1, 5.63 with 2 saves when on July 27th he was traded to the Chicago Cubs in return for two prospects, Yohendrick Pinango and Josh Rivera. His first outing with the Cubs on July 29th was marred by a homer by Jeimer Candelario of the Cincinnati Reds, but he settled down after that. On September 4th, he relieved Shota Imanaga after he had pitched seven hitless innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and retired the Bucs in order in the 8th. Porter Hodge then handled the 9th and the three combined on a 12-0 no-hitter, the first one achieved by the Cubs at Wrigley Field since 1972.

Further Reading[edit]

  • Keegan Matheson: "Blue Jays fireballer finds new life as a reliever", mlb.com, February 25, 2023. [1]
  • Jackson Stone: "Cubs acquire RHP Pearson, 'a guy who’s just getting better'", mlb.com, July 27, 2024. [2]

Related Sites[edit]

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