As rough as the 2019 season was for the Toronto Blue Jays things appear to be looking up as this year’s Major League Baseball season draws near.
We are less than a month away from opening day and Jays management has seen some promising developments during spring training from a roster that is chock full of young, mostly unproven talent.
A year ago, much of the chatter emanating from Dunedin, Fla. was about up-and-coming sluggers Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, and while the dynamic duo will continue to dominate baseball headlines north of the border, a new name has been added to the mix of young phenoms to watch out for.
Nate Pearson, a 23-year-old, fireball-throwing right-handed starting pitcher, has showed extremely well in his bid to crack Toronto’s opening day roster by showing off his high-90 mph fastball, including one pitch in his last spring outing that hit triple digits.
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However, the difference between Pearson and the likes of Guerrero and Bichette is that the former basically could use a lot more playing time in the minor leagues before he’s given the opportunity with the big club.
Pearson tossed only 101 2/3 innings in 2019 and it would serve the Blue Jays well to build up his innings count at ‘AAA’ Buffalo, before exposing him to a barrage of big-league bashers.
Toronto may also benefit from injury woes that are being felt the American League East Division’s two super powers, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.
New York will likely open the season without sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton while it appears elbow issues could sideline Boston ace Chris Sale.
The Yankees and Red Sox still have a ton of talent that they can tap into but any edge the Blue Jays can get they will take, especially in the early going of the 2020 campaign.