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Toronto Blue Jays: Three players to be excited about in 2021

By Ryan Patrick

BUFFALO, NY - SEPTEMBER 27: Lourdes Gurriel Jr. #13 of the Toronto Blue Jays points to the sky celebrating his two run home run in the third inning of play at Sahlen Field on September 27, 2020 in Buffalo, New York. Gurriel Jr's home run gave the Blue Jays a 4-1 lead after three innings. (Photo by Nicholas T. LoVerde/Getty Images)
BUFFALO, NY - SEPTEMBER 27: Lourdes Gurriel Jr. #13 of the Toronto Blue Jays points to the sky celebrating his two run home run in the third inning of play at Sahlen Field on September 27, 2020 in Buffalo, New York. Gurriel Jr's home run gave the Blue Jays a 4-1 lead after three innings. (Photo by Nicholas T. LoVerde/Getty Images) /
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Toronto Blue Jays
Randy Arozarena #56 of the Tampa Bay Rays reacts after a double in the second inning during Game Two of the American League Wild Card Series against the Toronto Blue Jays. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

The Toronto Blue Jays were officially eliminated from the post-season by the Tampa Bay Rays. However, the future is bright and there’s plenty to look forward to. 

It was no doubt a disappointing end to what appeared to be a magical season for the 2020 Toronto Blue Jays.

Despite having one of the youngest rosters in the league, the team exceeded expectations and snuck into the post-season as the #8 seed in the American League.

There were plenty of bumps along the way, including lots of mental mistakes and controversial management decisions. Despite all of this, there’s no denying the future is bright for this team. Here are three players to be excited about for next season.

Nate Pearson
Nate Pearson #24 of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches during Game Two of the American League Wild Card Series. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

Nate Pearson

The hype was real surrounding Nate Pearson entering the season, and for good reason. The 24-year-old flamethrower came as advertised, touching triple digits with his fastball and racking up strikeouts with his secondary pitches as well.

Unfortunately, he only got to throw 18 innings, as his season came to an end after a flexor strain injury. He only started four games during the regular season, and while the stat line may look ugly (6 ERA, 1.50 WHIP); the raw talent is clearly there.

Pearson was placed on the roster for the wild card round, and pitched two innings in Game 2. The game was basically already out of reach by the time he came in, but he looked fantastic striking out five of the six batters he faced.

Will Pearson start 2021 on the big league roster? That’s a decision that will need to be made after spring training. There is some thought that limiting his workload in 2021 might be the right call, due to how few innings he pitched this year. Jon Morosi was on Sportsnet 590 The Fan on Thursday morning and he stressed just how important the young righty is to the organization.

Pearson has the talent to be a very good pitcher in this league for a very long time, and the Blue Jays have every reason to be excited about his potential heading into next year.

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