Jays prospect Nate Pearson struggles in his first start of the season, but ‘the sky’s the limit’

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This article was published 09/05/2021 (1649 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Nate Pearson’s long-awaited season debut ended earlier than expected.

Toronto’s top pitching prospect, who missed part of spring training and the start of the year with a groin injury, hopped on a plane on Friday night for Houston, set to become a league-high 12th pitcher to start a game for the Blue Jays this season when he got the ball Sunday afternoon against the Astros.

News of a Pearson promotion is always highly anticipated, and the flame-throwing future ace’s addition to the squad was no exception Sunday, when he replaced reliever Rafael Dolis on the roster after the reliever fell to the injured list with a right calf strain.

But Pearson couldn’t find his release point or his command against the Astros. Five walks piled up over 2 1/3 innings, with the right-hander throwing 11 straight balls to three batters in the second. Manager Charlie Montoyo had no choice but to pull Pearson after 64 pitches, just 28 of them strikes.

He couldn’t get into a groove, Pearson said following Toronto’s 7-4 loss.

“As a pitcher, especially as a starting pitcher, it’s all about settling in and I felt like I was never able to settle in this outing,” Pearson said.

Settling into the big leagues as a whole has been a tough transition for Pearson. Command has regularly been an issue over his six big-league starts. Pearson has conceded 18 walks in 20 1/3 career innings. And he has had little opportunity to find any consistency between injuries and the typical ups and downs of a major-league rookie.

Pearson may be Toronto’s top prospect but he is still a prospect, and getting a grasp on the big leagues may take some time, Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said.

“The one thing about prospects, sometimes it takes a little bit longer (for) some people, sometimes it’s quick,” Montoyo said. “So we’ve just got to be patient. But he’s got the arm to be a really good starter in the big leagues. One bad outing doesn’t mean anything.”

It may mean a little, given the Jays are currently in need of some length from their starters. There is a rotation spot up for grabs alongside Hyun-Jin Ryu, Robbie Ray, Steven Matz and Ross Stripling, and a strong performance Sunday likely would have guaranteed Pearson another. His potential should still earn him that outing. But Montoyo would only go so far as to say the team would assess the situation over the next couple of days to see what Pearson’s next start is going to look like.

At the very least, the door is still open for someone to earn Toronto’s fifth starter job. And the question about what kind of impact Pearson can have on this season still looms. That was going to be a topic of conversation no matter how Pearson came out of the gate, given he only has 127 minor-league innings under his belt to date.

Figuring out how to develop Pearson now while getting the best out of him in the future, and whether or not that can happen at the major-league level, is the fine line the Jays must walk.

“This is that balance that we’re always walking … putting guys in the best possible position short term, long term,” general manager Ross Atkins said earlier this week. “And (we’re) thinking about what’s best for Nate’s career, his limited time that he’s had in the minor leagues and just how valuable we see that being and the ability to really hone his craft.”

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Montoyo called Pearson’s acclimation to the big leagues “a work in progress” and said learning from Jays pitching coach Pete Walker should help the prospect make gains.

The manager said there’s no question in his mind about the heights Pearson can reach.

“He’ll get it,” he said. “The sky’s the limit with this kid”

Now it’s just a matter of how long it takes him to get there.

Laura Armstrong is a Star sports reporter based in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @lauraarmy