It was only one inning – against Low (sorry, Single) A hitters at that, but the Blue Jays have to be happy with Nate Pearson’s first appearance in two months.
Pitching for the Florida State League’s Dunedin Blue Jays, Pearson began their contest against Tampa (the first of two, after rain shortened their game the previous day) with a tidy 10-pitch, 1-2-3 inning.
A Florida source says the organization is thrilled with Pearson’s outing. The Blue Jays understandably would prefer to keep the buzz around Pearson to a minimum for now, but that performance gives him something to build on. Apparently, that’s the best he’s looked in some time.
Blue Jays fans, of course, have heard this kind of thing before. The thing about being a top prospect is that you’re expected to deliver almost from the start of their big league career, but that’s seldom the case. Still, a Nate Pearson who is right both physically and emotionally could give a huge boost to the Blue Jays bullpen.
At the same time, Pearson is still at least a few weeks away from MLB competition. Just as important as his outing yesterday will be how he recovers over the next few days, and how he looks in his next appearance, likely with Dunedin again early this coming week. From there, he’ll probably need some time in Buffalo before the organization can determine if he’s ready for a return to the big leagues.
