With Shane Bieber's Toronto debut set, what are the other most hyped Blue Jays debuts?

First impressions matter in sports - it's why Blue Jays fans still remember who J.P. Arencibia is (beyond his 2013 Masterclass on how NOT to catch a knuckleballer). And as 2020 Cy Young Winner Shane Bieber prepares to make his Blue Jays debut on Friday in Miami, it's an opportunity to look back at some of the more memorable introductions over the past few decades.

Keep in mind - this is as much about hype as it is about overall results - so this list does not include great players with quiet debuts (like a Chris Carpenter or a Carlos Delgado), or players quietly acquired who went on to become cult heroes (with apologies to Jason Grilli).

Looking Back at the Most Highly Anticipated Blue Jays Debuts as Shane Bieber Prepares for His Own.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

When the Blue Jays signed Vladdy Jr. as a 16-year-old international free agent in July of 2015, it allowed fans the chance to dream big about the future - unaware that in just a few weeks, a couple of Hail Mary deadline deals would catapult the team into their first post-season race in two decades.
Following those two exciting runs of 2015 and 2016, as the team aged, struggled, and started to sell off assets, news of the young star's bat speed and unmatched eye for the strike zone provided a needed distraction from the tire fire on the field.

On April 26th, 2019, after a few weeks of... extensive work on his defence (and definitely not service time manipulation), Vladdy would make his debut at home against the Athletics. Following an extended pre-game special, Guerrero would start at third base, batting 5th between Rowdy Tellez and Billy McKinney, and would go 1-for-4 with his first career double.

Much like the 2019 season itself, it was a somewhat forgettable debut - but at least the Jays won the game 4-2.

Nate Pearson

Drafted 28th overall in 2017, the big Floridian represented the first exciting pitching prospect to crack the big leagues since Aaron Sanchez, and the fourth notable name to debut in less than a year after Guerrero, Bo Bichette, and, yes, Cavan Biggio. However, the circumstances could not be more different than the previous three.

While the rebuild was not explicitly over, the team was starting to climb back into relevance - especially after signing one of the top free agents available in Hyun-Jin Ryu. Off the field, the world had been thrown into complete uncertainty by the COVID-19 pandemic - the first three months of the season had been cancelled, and the Blue Jays couldn't even enter Canada because of travel restrictions.

And so Nate Pearson would make his debut on July 29, 2020 - in just the sixth game of the regular season - at "home" against the Washington Nationals - a game played in Washington, because Sahlen Field in Buffalo, their eventual home, was not yet ready. His opponent - current Blue Jay Max Scherzer.

Both pitchers would sparkle - with Pearson's five innings of 2-hit shutout ball beat by Scherzer's 7 and a third innings of 3-hit shutout ball - and the Jays eventually losing in extras thanks to Shun Yamaguchi's shoddy work in the bullpen.

For Pearson, outside of an impressive relief outing in the post-season a couple of months later, this outing could turn out to be the best of his career (so far).