Blue Jays: The argument for an innings limit for Nate Pearson

The Toronto Blue Jays are in the midst of a rebuild, and with their next top pitching prospect set to make his debut in 2020, there is a strong argument to have him on a strict innings limit this season.

The Toronto Blue Jays possess one of the hardest throwing pitching prospects in Nate Pearson, the 6’6 right-hander drafted in the 1st round of the 2017 Amateur Draft.

Coming into the off-season as the 10th ranked prospect in all of MLB baseball by MLB.com, Pearson is expected to make the active roster at some point this upcoming season. Many scouts and writers have the hard-throwing righty starting the season off in AAA before making his way up to the big leagues around June/July.

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What makes Nate Pearson so exciting to watch is not only his plus fastball, which can hit 102-104 MPH, it is also the way he attacks the plate with his plus slider which is a nightmare for right-handed hitters. Pearson uses his large frame to his advantage as well, with his plus fastball driving towards home plate and a curveball that also keeps hitters off balance. Two excellent off-speed pitches, a blistering fastball, and a work in progress changeup make Pearson a very exciting prospect to watch for Blue Jays fans.

It’s easy to see why there is so much hype surrounding Pearson. Not only is he projected to be a front of the rotation type of arm, but he also has the stats to back up his success. Across three levels last year, Pearson finished with a 2.30 ERA, 119 strikeouts, and a career-high 101.2 innings pitched.

While the excitement over a prospect like Pearson is real, the reality of baseball has to be taken into consideration. Starting pitchers usually set 175-200 innings as a benchmark to reach over the course of a season, and Pearson has not come close to that mark as of it. To be fair, it’s not really his fault either.

In his first start of the 2018 season, Pearson took a line drive off his throwing arm, breaking his ulna and sidelining him until the Arizona Fall League later that year. The 2019 season was the longest he has pitched since being drafted, and he just does not have a lot of reps under his belt.

This is particularly why many see Pearson being a later season call up versus being an opening day starter, compounded with the fact that he has only made 3 starts last season in AAA. There have been players that can (and have) made the jump from AA to the major leagues, but there really is no point in rushing a top-level prospect to join a team that is basically hoping for a .500 season heading into 2020.

Overall, I would expect Pearson to make some starts in the MLB when he does officially get called up to the Blue Jays roster, but I could see the organization transition him to the bullpen to end the season. That’s not to say that Pearson is being sent to the bullpen as a demotion, but more of a controlling tactic to get him some reps against big league hitters while also not taxing his arm and body more than he is comfortable with.

I personally think he will finish the season around the 150-175 mark, but that is obviously up to the Blue Jays high-performance department.

No matter what the outcome is, Toronto Blue Jays nation was very excited to see Nate Pearson progress through the minor league system and are thrilled to see one of the organizations top pitching prospects make his debut sometime in 2020.