Nate Pearson's Blue Jays Role Still Uncertain After Strong Spring Outing

Nate Pearson delivered two hitless innings with four strikeouts in his 2022 Blue Jays spring training debut

Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

LAKELAND, Fla. — Toronto Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo was looking for something simple from Nate Pearson in his first start of spring training—control on the fastball and breaking pitches.

Simple enough, right? Not always for the former top-10 prospect.

Despite a career 2.6 walks per nine in 154 minor-league innings, Pearson posted walk marks of 6.5 and 7.2 in his two brief years in the show. Five walks sullied his 2021 debut against the Astros and a long-lingering hernia derailed his season. While the Blue Jays decipher the best usage for their high-upside flamethrower, Pearson did his part on Monday, separating the free passes from the strikeouts and flashing the needed health.

“He’s got everything to be a really good big-league pitcher,” Montoyo said. “But of course he’s been hurt and stuff, so that stops guys from getting better.”

Five months removed from offseason sports hernia surgery, Pearson’s first warmup pitch at Detroit’s Publix Field sailed up and to the right. The delivery pulled Alejandro Kirk out of his squat, and Pearson later lost his first batter on a seven-pitch walk. But then, he stabilized.

The fastball kicked up a few miles per hour, an Alejandro Kirk throw-out negated the walk, and Pearson found the zone to finish out the frame. After a few called strikes touching 98 MPH, the righty dropped the slider in freezing Detroit top prospect Riley Greene for his second strikeout of the frame. A three-pitch K of Miguel Cabrera and six pitches later, Pearson finished out a second inning for a clean first outing. He finished with 16 strikes on 27 pitches—imperfect but promising.

"Felt good," Pearson said. "Tried to ease into it and got some good results."

Pearson battled unknown groin injuries throughout 2021, with a sports hernia diagnosis solving the mystery late in the season. The big righty tweaked some of his routines and moved to the bullpen to manage the injury in September and offseason surgery hopefully solved it. Some routine changes have carried over to this season as the 25-year-old looks to stay healthy and pitch more than 50 innings in a season for the second time since turning pro.

“He used to be really aggressive, really attack with his mechanics," Toronto starter Alek Manoah said. "Now he’s a lot more fluid, comes out so easy. It’s amazing to watch because it’s 100 miles per hour and it looks like he’s just playing catch.”

Pearson failed to earn his spot in Toronto’s rotation the past two seasons, and entering 2022 all the starter seats are seemingly taken. The spring signing of Yusei Kikuchi fills Toronto’s five-man rotation with four former All-Stars and 2021 rookie Manoah. 

However, with a shortened spring training and pitcher workloads a concern, there could be room for significant innings from Pearson and stretched-out Ross Stripling. And so, the Pearson question carries over to another spring training. Starter or reliever? Majors or Triple A? Hype or hurt?

“We’re going to stretch him out to be a starter,” Montoyo said. “So if he doesn’t make the club he’ll be starting in Triple A and we’ll see where we go.”

Pearson can make his case with health and production, but the Jays will ultimately decide where he starts and where he stays. The 25-year-old has seen success as a dedicated reliever, dominating the Rays in the 2020 playoffs and finishing 2021 with 12.2 innings of 2.84 ERA out of Toronto’s pen. But the upside that pushed him up prospect lists and keeps him top of mind comes as a starter.

The 2022 answer may be some hybrid long-man/spot starter role, but both player and team still have hope for the rotation. Montoyo said he hopes Pearson starts before Monday's game, and Pearson made his long-term plans clear after the two scoreless innings.

"I think I've always been a starting pitcher, it's all I've done," Pearson said. "Obviously I went into the bullpen last year, but I've got starter stuff."