Blue Jays: Things to keep an eye on in Spring Training

Nate Pearson’s role

The former top right-handed pitching prospect in baseball, Nate Pearson, came up through the minors as a starter, but things seem to have changed. Over the past two seasons, Pearson has pitched a combined 33.0 innings and has struggled to the tune of a 5.18 ERA. To make things worse, Pearson has missed significant time due to injury, and for those reasons, he was relegated to the bullpen. The signing of Yusei Kikuchi seems to show that Pearson will remain there for now, but his exact role is still very unclear.

Throughout his brief time in the majors, the splits between Pearson as a starter and a reliever have been drastic. As a starter, he has a 7.23 ERA over 18.2 innings, with 6.8 K/9. Coming out of the bullpen though, he has a 2.51 ERA in 14.1 innings, with 13.8 K/9. Pearson’s skill set as a pitcher who can easily touch triple-digits, to go along with a wipeout slider, also projects well to a role in the bullpen.

While it may seem as though Pearson is set to be a reliever, at least for the time being, there is still reason to believe that he could be a successful starter. Whether they keep him there or try to stretch him out, the way the Blue Jays utilize him in Spring Training will tell us a lot about how the team views him. For Pearson, this Spring Training could be a make or break for him as a starter, so expect him to garner a lot of coverage over the next month.