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Blue Jays prospect Nate Pearson throws 104 MPH in Arizona Fall League

Stan Temming
Fact: Nate Pearson, a highly-touted pitching prospect with the Toronto Blue Jays, can throw the ball very, very hard. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
Fact: Nate Pearson, a highly-touted pitching prospect with the Toronto Blue Jays, can throw the ball very, very hard. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

When Nate Pearson stands on the mound and stares down a batter, he’s a pretty imposing figure. Standing at 6-foot-6 and 245 pounds, the 22-year-old right hander is a mammoth of a man.

The fact that his fastball consistently comes over the plate in the mid-to-high 90’s, sometimes touching triple-digits, only adds to the fear he strikes in his opponents.

While pitching in the Arizona Fall League, a six-week showcase of baseball’s up-and-coming stars, the Toronto Blue Jays prospect threw a baseball fast. Like, very fast.

The only problem was that New York Mets prospect Pete Alonso made pretty good contact with the heat that was coming his way.

It truly is a ridiculous sequence of events. As Blue Jays blogger and writer Ian Hunter mentions in a recent tweet, “the fastest recorded pitch in the majors this year was 105 MPH from Jordan Hicks.”

Yet, despite the fact that the ball was travelling at over 167 km/h, Alonso is able to trot around the bases after knocking it over the fence.

In fairness, when it’s coming in that quick, a hitter could probably accidentally end up with a home run while attempting to lay down a bunt.

(That’s how physics works, right? I’m not sure, I might have missed that episode of MythBusters).

Nevertheless, the speed that Pearson is launching balls has people excited. That list includes Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman.

The 28th pick in the 2017 MLB June Amateur Draft, there’s little doubt that Pearson looks to have the potential to become an ace in the big leagues.

The season was pretty tough for him, though. Pitching for the Surprise Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League, Pearson is throwing competitively for the first time since a comebacker fractured his arm in May while with Dunedin.

In his first start with the Saguaros, he threw 3.1 shutout innings in a 4-1 win over the Glendale Desert Dogs. Since then, things haven’t gone as smoothly. He’s currently sporting a record of 1-2 and an 11.12 ERA in 11.1 innings pitched.

As he continues to recover from his injury and break radar guns, those numbers are sure to fall in the process.

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