Blue Jays: A Bullpen Move May Be Exactly What Nate Pearson Needs

During his time with the media on Tuesday afternoon, General Manager Ross Atkins alluded to the idea that top pitching prospect Nate Pearson may return to the Blue Jays in a bullpen role, once he is reinstated from the injured list.  It’s no secret that Pearson has struggled early on in his career, and has yet to live up to the top prospect label he was given by many talent evaluators.

The Florida native has looked over matched facing big league hitters, posting an ugly 6.64 ERA, while walking more batters than he struck out during his five starts at the major league level.  The organization wants Pearson to be a starter, and I can almost guarantee that the top prospect will be given an opportunity to compete for a spot in the rotation next spring.

Until that happens, I believe that pitching in shorter stints out of the bullpen may benefit the young right hander, and allow Pearson to establish himself at the big league level.

Pearson was such a highly touted prospect coming up through the Jays farm system thanks to his elite heater.  The JUCO product possesses rare velocity, and showcased his arm talent by touching 104 MPH in the Arizona Fall League back in 2018, and then hit 103 MPH during the 2019 Futures Game.

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The hard throwing righty’s max velocity is rivalled by few, but these personal records were hit during one inning outings.  Pearson hasn’t been able to reach back for his top velocity when pitching in a starter’s role, as his heater has sat between 94-98 MPH, and has rarely touched triple digits.

This isn’t slow by any means, but it also isn’t enough to blow by big league hitters like he was able to do in the minors.  Moving to the bullpen will allow the Florida native to tap into his elite velocity a little more.  We’ve already seen a glimpse of how hard the right hander can throw in a relief role during last year’s wild card series.  Pearson’s fastball sat in the upper 90’s, and touched triple digits regularly in his two scoreless innings of work against the Rays.

This was the best fastball he has featured at the big league level.  The extra velocity that Pearson was able to generate coming out of the pen helped mitigate his command issues and allowed him to punch out five of the six batters he faced.

Pitching in short stints to wrap up this season will give Pearson the luxury to reach back, and empty the tank during one inning of work, which will increase his velocity and give him a little more room for error, from a command standpoint.

Another issue that has become prevalent during the early stages of Pearson’s career has been his secondary offerings.  The only off-speed pitch the top prospect can throw with any kind of consistency is his slider, and currently it’s an average offering at best due to the lack off feel he has for it.

Relievers only need two pitches due to the fact that they will only see an opposing hitter once a night.  Coming out of the bullpen will allow Pearson to set aside his change up and curveball for the time being, letting him to solely focus on his slider, and work towards refining the movement and command of the pitch.

Most fans were ecstatic to see what kind of season Pearson could put together in a starter’s role.  Though injuries and poor on-field performances have derailed the right-hander’s career so far, I believe that a short stint in the bullpen may give Pearson the opportunity to have some success and give him plenty of momentum heading into the 2022 season, which will be a huge year for both the Blue Jays and the hard throwing righty.