Catcher-Turned-Pitcher Nate LaRue Embracing New Role

Since Little League, Nate LaRue’s right arm from behind the plate has been his calling card.

It earned him a scholarship to Auburn University, where he gunned down 36% of would-be base stealers. It earned him a free-agent deal with the Blue Jays after his senior year in 2023. Then, it helped him climb to Double-A in Toronto’s system as a catcher.

Now, once again, it’s his arm that he’s hoping can carry him to the big leagues—this time, from the mound.

It’s not his first time toeing the slab. At McGill-Toolen Catholic High School in Mobile, Alabama, LaRue was primarily a catcher his senior year but also pitched sporadically, even serving as the team’s closer during the playoffs.

Blue Jays area scout Don Norris saw potential even then, selecting him as a pitcher in the 25th round of the 2019 Draft. But LaRue chose to honor his commitment to Auburn, where he began his college career as a two-way player.

He made six pitching appearances over his first two seasons while serving as a backup catcher. Once he won the starting catching job as a junior, he gave up pitching entirely. He finished his senior year with five home runs and 15 RBI, then signed with Toronto as a free agent on August 23, 2023, after staying in touch with Norris and the Blue Jays throughout college.

LaRue caught nine games for the rookie-level FCL Blue Jays after signing and had a stint with Double-A New Hampshire late in the season.

It was ahead of the 2024 campaign that then Blue Jays Minor League Field Coordinator Eric Duncan and Pitching Coordinator Ricky Meinhold sat LaRue down and floated the idea of a full-time move to the mound.

“I wanted to catch as long as I could—that’s what I’d done my whole life,” LaRue said. “I wasn’t ready to give it up just yet.”

So the decision was deferred. He’d give catching one more season.

But before that push could begin, his season—and potentially his career as a catcher—was derailed. On one of the final days of Spring Training, LaRue injured his ankle, which required surgery.

He returned to rehab games by mid-July, and by August was healthy enough to be activated. But instead of rejoining the active roster of an affiliate, he was placed on Double-A New Hampshire’s Development List—essentially a practice player role where he caught bullpens and side sessions. He filled in behind the plate late in the season due to injury, but by then, the conversations with Duncan and Meinhold had picked back up. At season’s end, LaRue would transition to pitching full-time.

Meinhold, now in his second season as the Jays’ Pitching Coordinator, has a longstanding relationship with Auburn Head Coach Butch Thompson. He also saw LaRue up close while coaching at Missouri in 2023.

“He's got a bazooka behind the plate,” Meinhold recalled. Adding, “It helped that he had pitched already… we have some clay to mold.” He cited LaRue’s work ethic, baseball IQ, and pure athleticism as other key reasons the organization felt confident in making the move.

LaRue finished his minor league career behind the plate with an astounding 41.6% caught-stealing rate.

This past offseason marked the first time in his baseball life that LaRue focused solely on pitching. He and his wife moved back to Auburn, where he had access to the Tigers’ SEC facilities and trained alongside dozens of other pros.

When LaRue returned to the Blue Jays’ Player Development Complex in 2025, he wasn’t lugging catcher's gear around the six-field maze anymore. Instead, he was working in the team’s pitching lab, refining his delivery and learning how to reinvent himself as a pitcher at the professional level.

After a couple of extra weeks in extended spring training, LaRue was transferred to Class-A Dunedin for his professional pitching debut on April 19th.

Nate LaRue enters for his professional pitching debut and strikes out the first batter he faces! pic.twitter.com/ZxAgC2qxky

— Dunedin Blue Jays (@DunedinBlueJays) April 23, 2025

On Wednesday in Tampa, LaRue made his first appearance on the mound as a professional pitcher, striking out the first batter he faced in an inning of relief and picking up the win.

LaRue’s arsenal features a fastball, slider, and changeup. His fastball sits in the low-90s, though he's hoping to tick up his velocity numbers as time goes on.

“I try to pitch the same way I wanted pitchers to pitch to me when I was catching,” he said. “Throwing strikes and getting quick outs.”

“I feel good,” LaRue added. “I’m not starting from ground zero, but I’ve never only pitched, so that’s been completely different. I definitely like it so far… I’m excited to start something new.”