The path to the major leagues rarely follows a straight line. For Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Nate Garkow, it has taken a route few professional ballplayers ever experience — one that included substitute teaching, retail shifts, and independent league baseball.
Now, the once-undrafted right-hander is quietly building a case that his unlikely journey could eventually end in the big leagues.
A long road after college
Garkow finished his college career at Point Loma Nazarene University without much attention from professional scouts. Over four seasons, he appeared in 39 games (34 starts) and logged 186.1 innings, posting a 4.30 ERA with 201 strikeouts and a 1.34 WHIP.
Solid numbers, but nothing that pushed him onto draft boards.
After graduating, Garkow’s baseball future seemed uncertain. To keep pursuing the game, he balanced three full-time jobs while pitching in the Frontier League with the Gateway Grizzlies.
By day, he worked as a substitute teacher. Outside the classroom, he took shifts in retail — all while continuing to chase a professional opportunity on the mound.
Independent league breakout catches Toronto’s eye
That opportunity finally came during the 2024 Frontier League season, when Garkow delivered a dominant stretch that caught the attention of Blue Jays scouts.
In just 15.2 innings, he struck out 37 hitters, allowing only four hits and eight walks while posting an eye-opening 21.6 strikeouts per nine innings and a 0.76 WHIP.
The performance convinced Toronto to offer him a contract.
Soon after signing, Garkow reported to Dunedin, where he continued to impress out of the bullpen. He recorded 30 strikeouts in 21 innings and finished with a 2.14 ERA, quickly validating the Blue Jays’ decision to take a chance on him.
Turning a corner in Double-A
Garkow’s 2025 season began with High-A Vancouver, where the results were mixed.
While his strikeout numbers remained electric — 32 strikeouts in 16.2 innings — he also surrendered 14 earned runs on 17 hits, pushing his ERA to 7.56.
Still, the organization believed his pitch mix was developing in the right direction and promoted him to Double-A New Hampshire in late May.
That move changed everything.
Across 29 appearances, Garkow allowed just five runs in 37 innings, striking out 54 hitters while limiting opponents to a microscopic .098 batting average. He finished with a 1.22 ERA and 0.78 WHIP, ranking among the most effective pitchers in the league.
His 38.6% strikeout rate was fourth-best in Double-A among pitchers with at least 30 innings.
For someone who had been pitching in independent ball only three years earlier, the transformation was remarkable.
The pitch that makes it all work
Despite the results, Garkow doesn’t overpower hitters with velocity.
His fastball sits in the 88–90 mph range, but the pitch features significant movement, generating roughly 24 inches of vertical break. That movement creates deception, particularly when paired with his most effective weapon — a devastating change-up.
The change-up mirrors his fastball out of the hand before suddenly dropping away from hitters, often leaving them swinging at air. Because the two pitches initially look identical, batters frequently commit early and find themselves chasing a ball that disappears beneath the barrel.
That combination has helped Garkow produce elite swing-and-miss numbers despite modest velocity.
Still chasing the final step
Garkow is not currently on the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster, which means his major league opportunity may still be some distance away.
But pitching depth changes quickly in baseball.
In 2025 alone, Toronto used 29 different relievers throughout the season. Injuries, workload management, and performance fluctuations often open unexpected doors.
If similar circumstances unfold again, Garkow could find himself climbing the depth chart faster than expected.
And for a pitcher who once split his time between classrooms, store aisles, and independent league stadiums, even getting that opportunity would represent another remarkable chapter in one of baseball’s most unusual journeys.
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