INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The 2020 and 2021 campaigns were banner years for Nick Mears.
The right-handed reliever made his major league debut in 2020, and appeared in 30 games for the Pirates last season. However, the 2022 campaign has been turned upside down for Mears.
Mears did not start his season until just before Memorial Day, due to injury. He then had his rehab shut down in June, before starting another at the end of July. All told, between Bradenton and Indianapolis, Mears has posted a 6.89 ERA in 18 games. He has allowed just under a hit per inning, and walked 14 batters in 15.2 innings.
“It’s been pretty tough this year, I’m not going to lie,“ Mears said. “My first rehab I felt like I was in a good spot physically and then I ended up getting COVID, which set me back into my second rehab. I’m just trying to get back to where I was in that first rehab.”
The main observation is that Mears has seen a dip in velocity into his second rehab. He did note that everything feels fine physically, and he’s just trying to find that velocity again.
“The velo will come, it’s just about executing my pitches now,“ Mears said.
While the main career milestones for Mears came in the prior two seasons, it should be noted that he rose all the way to Double-A in his first full season, after being an undrafted free agent.
“I was definitely playing with a chip on my shoulder that year,” Mears said. “Being an undrafted free agent, and then being one of the top relief prospects by the end of the year in my mind, then going to the Fall League I feel like I had a chip on my shoulder with something to prove that year.”
While he admits the chip is still there, gaining confidence and belief is a little bit different at the upper levels.
“I would say it’s a little harder to gain confidence in your outings the higher you go,“ Mears said. “Obviously, you’re playing against better players. When you do have a good outing or you’re on a good streak, the confidence is through the roof. Especially in Triple-A or the big leagues because you are competing against the best guys in the world.”
Going back to a prime confidence booster, his debut in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Mears was a bit robbed of his opportunity to share his debut with his family.
“It was super weird, because that’s everything you dream of as a kid,” Mears said. “For your family not really to be able to see you accomplish that goal that, not only you have gone through, but they have gone through as well supporting you, it was a little weird.”
However, Mears’ family members did not miss out on the chance to see his debut in person, regardless of the circumstances. His dad made a flight to Pittsburgh, and climbed a fence behind PNC Park in centerfield when Mears took the mound.
“There was a police officer that came over and threatened to arrest him if he didn’t get down,“ Mears said. “But I got to see him later that night, and we hugged it out.”
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