Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects: Do not Forget About Nick Mears

While Pittsburgh Pirates fans are currently buzzing about relief pitching prospect Blake Cederlind, fellow reliever prospect Nick Mears should not be overlooked

So far this spring few players have created more buzz in Pittsburgh Pirates camp than relief prospect Blake Cederlind. This is for good reason. After all, Cederlind is the team’s top relief pitching prospect and has regularly been touching 100+ MPH this spring.

The results have also been there for Cederlind in Grapefruit League action. Cederlind has pitched in three games this spring logging 2.2 innings of work. In these 2.2 innings pitched he has not allowed a hit, walked a pair and struck out five. Combine these results and his power stuff with the confidence and swag he has on the mound, plus his blonde flow, and it is safe to say he has introduced himself to Pirate fans this spring.

Well, in addition to Cederlind the Pirates have another young power bullpen arm that is quickly climbing through the system. This pitcher is righty Nick Mears.

The 23-year-old Mears, like Cederlind, possesses a power fastball. Mears uses his fastball, which sits in the 96-98 MPH range and can touch triple digits, high in the zone to generate swings and misses. He also throws a curveball, but will likely need to develop another breaking pitch.

Last season Mears posted a 3.09 ERA, 4.26 FIP, 15.2% walk rate, and a 41.3% strikeout rate for Low-A Greensboro. He was then promoted to High-A Bradenton where he improved to a 3.60 ERA, 2.84 FIP, 7.3% walk rate, and a 35.0% strikeout rate. Mears finished the season by logging 5 innings with Double-A Altoona. In these 5 innings with the Curve he allowed just a single earned run on four hits, two walks, and seven strikeouts.

Mears’ story is also a great one. He was unsigned following the 2018 MLB Draft. This was largely due to missing his second year at Sacrament Junior College due to personal reasons. Despite this, Mears has risen to become one of the top relief pitching prospects in the Pirate farm system.

This spring Mears has appeared in two Grapefruit League games. He pitched 2 innings in these two games and has allowed three runs on five hits. However, he has not walked anyone and has also struck out three batters. While he has had some struggles this spring, the most important thing is Mears getting to cut his teeth against MLB, or close to, level hitters while spending time in Big League camp.

Mears will likely start the 2020 season back with the Curve. If he continues to pitch well, he could reach the Triple-A level sooner rather than later. There seems to be a good chance that Mears could see time with the Pirates this season.

Even if Mears does not reach the MLB level this season, he remains a big part of the future of the Pirate bullpen. Led by Cederlind, Mears, and other young arms such as Nick Burdi, Kyle Crick, and Edgar Santana, the future of the Pirate bullpen appears to be a bright one.