Blue Jays have budding superstar in Nate Pearson

BOSTON, MA - JUNE 14: The glove of Jose Bautista
BOSTON, MA - JUNE 14: The glove of Jose Bautista /
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The Toronto Blue Jays have something special budding on the west coast as pitcher Nate Pearson and his triple-digit fastball hone their craft with the Vancouver Canadians of the Northwest League.

The Blue Jays selected Nate Pearson with the 28th overall selection in the past amateur draft out of College of Central Florida. The Jays were not deterred by the screws inserted into Pearson’s elbow during high school and signed the hurler over to an over pick value signing bonus of $2,452,900 million dollars.

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The 6′ 6″ right hander consistently sits at 98 with his fastball but can get it over 100 miles per hour when the situation calls for it. He is a dominating presence on the bump however the speed of his progress will hinge on how quick he can master and effectively throw his secondary pitches to compliment the heat. That may also be a determining factor on whether Pearson remains a starter or ends up as a back of the bullpen talent.

In his first 4 outings of professional baseball, Pearson has yet to surrender a run in 7 innings of work. The 20-year old has fanned 8 batters while he has yet to issue a free pass in his small sample size of work with Vancouver.

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The fireballer was not drafted out of high school but still managed to skyrocket up the draft board thanks in part to his 1.56 ERA and 118 strikeouts in 81 innings pitched with Patriots of the Junior College circuit. The Nationals also selected Pearson’s teammate and fellow pitcher Jackson Stoeckinger in the 12th round of the 2017 draft.

Obviously, Pearson has a long way to go but the makeup and talent are definitely there for him to be a force to be reckoned with if he can stay healthy. How can you not cheer for a guy that models himself after Nolan Ryan?

Next: Blue Jays: What the Wild Card picture really looks like