Astros Sign Nate Pearson: What to Make of Move

It’s been nearly a decade since Nate Pearson, a 2017 first-round pick, has been in the pros. However, it’s been an odyssey to get him to reach his once-lofty potential. The Astros will take a shot at trying to work with him. Pearson is reportedly signing with Houston on a one-year deal, joining an Astros team that will have a very different-looking rotation next year.

A Look at Pearson

The Blue Jays promoted Nate Pearson for his MLB debut way back in 2020 during the pandemic-shortened season. Pearson was originally a starter but only worked five games (four starts) that year due to injury. And unfortunately for the 29-year-old, injuries have been a large problem for him.

Pearson, exclusively a reliever the past few seasons, had myriad stints on the IL over the last few seasons. But on top of that, it’s also been an ability to command his stuff where it needs to go. He sported BB% rates north of 13% in three of five seasons, and additionally, abnormally high barreled-up rates.

From a stuff standpoint, Pearson has always been a highly intriguing arm. The right-hander has sporadically used a changeup and, most recently, a two-seamer in his arsenal. However, the big three in his repertoire have been the hard plus-plus fastball that got him drafted in the first round in 2017, plus a hard slider & curveball.

His fastball has varied from a movement profile. When he first came up, it was a true riser. However, over the last few years, it’s shown more cut than run. Pearson can regularly run it up to the upper-90s and often hit 101 MPH down in Iowa (AAA).

The slider is hard, high-80s weapon, while the curveball can touch as low as 76-77 and hard as 83 MPH. Pearson mainly used the curve as a change-of-pace weapon against left-handed hitters.