If you don't know who the Blue Jays' top prospect is, you should.
His name is Nate Pearson and he can throw pure gas.
Last July, the 6-6, 245-pound flamethrower impressed not only all of MLB but also Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. at the Futures Game. The right-hander topped out at 101 mph and struck out the side in his second career appearance in the game.
FUTURES GAME 2019: Pearson blows away the competition
On Tuesday, he did the same, going 1-2-3 against the New York Yankees in his first Grapefruit League appearance of the spring. While there were no official radar gun readings this time, Mike Wilner of Toronto's 590 The Fan heard a Yankees scout's readings and then relayed on Twitter: "Pearson was 97-99 with the fastball in striking out the side in order in top1. Slider hit 90, no biggie."
NASTY NATE 😳@big_nate5 struck out the side in his spring debut! pic.twitter.com/sDsz2YQNwg
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) February 25, 2020
Sure, striking out three straight Yankees is impressive on its own, but check out this line . . .
- 1 IP
- 10 pitches
- Nine strikes
- 3 Ks
. . . and where those pitches were:
Needless to say, it was a pretty impressive start for the 23-year-old phenom.