Blue Jays: Nate Pearson to make first AFL appearance

Toronto Blue Jays young fireballer Nate Pearson will reportedly make his much anticipated Arizona Fall League debut today when the Surprise Saguaros play host to the Glendale Desert Dogs.

Nate Pearson was earmarked to skyrocket through the Blue Jays farm system however his 2018 campaign was derailed by injuries as the young pitcher only made once appearance that lasted just under two innings this past season.

Pearson who arguably the Blue Jays top pitching prospect missed the first month of the season due to an oblique strain. The hurler made his season debut on May 07th for Dunedin, however, he was struck by a comebacker off the bat of Tyler Gaffney suffering a non-displaced fractured ulna on his pitching arm that cost him the remainder of the season.

The 22-year old will toe the rubber for approximately 3-4 innings as he attempts to build his arm strength back up during the fall season.

More from Toronto Blue Jays News

• Matt Chapman has been exactly what the Blue Jays needed
• Blue Jays: The goalposts are moving in the right direction
• Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays advance to the Championship Series
• Blue Jays: Comparisons for Alek Manoah’s Second Season
• Blue Jays: Adam Cimber, the unlikely decision King

Pearson was selected in the first round, 28th overall in the 2017 amateur draft, although many prognosticators anticipated he would be selected much earlier in the draft. It appeared many teams shied away from Pearson due to his past arm issues in high school. The big right-hander had a screw inserted in his pitching elbow however it does not prevent him from running his fastball into the triple-digit echelon.

The Florida native burst onto the minor league scene in 2017 surrendering a mere two runs in his first eight games at the pro ranks. Pearson concluded his rookie campaign with an 0.90 earned run average with 26 punchouts in 20 innings of work.

Pearson is ranked as the fourth best prospect in the Blue Jays organization and the highest ranked Jays pitcher by MLB.com.

Hopefully, the pitching prodigy can put his injury troubles behind him once and for all and catapult the Saguaros to their third AFL victory in four tries. Look for big things from Pearson in 2019.