C’s Chat – 2025 Vancouver Canadians RHP #32 Nate LaRue – C's Plus Baseball

Our first pitcher to enter the C’s Chat room in 2026 is 2025 Vancouver Canadians righthander Nate LaRue.

The Mobile, Alabama native attended McGill-Toolen High School in his hometown and was a talented two-way player who helped the Yellow Jackets win their first-ever Alabama Class 7A title. He closed out the 2019 championship game on the mound by turning a game-ending 1-3 lineout double play. LaRue was the closer during McGill-Toolen’s postseason run and had logged 28⅔ innings with 40 strikeouts, 8 walks and two saves. After playing in right field for his first three years in high school, LaRue became a catcher in his senior season and batted .362 with nine home runs, 10 doubles and 37 runs batted in.

LaRue boosted his draft stock with his performance on the travel ball circuit at several Perfect Game events, including Most Valuable Player honours at the 2017 WWBA (World Wood Bat Association) Labour Day Classic. He was also named to the All-Tournament Team for that event as well as the 2018 WWBA National and World Championships. Other plaudits included the 2018 Perfect Game Preseason Underclass Second Team All-American and 2019 Perfect Game Preseason Third Team All-American selections.

Rated as Perfect Game‘s number three overall player in Alabama and 118th overall, Baseball America liked LaRue’s chances of being taken in the 2019 Major League Baseball draft, ranking him as the 210th-best prospect.

“He is athletic and profiles well as a catcher, but evaluators seem to be most intrigued by what he can do on the mound. He shows above-average arm strength and throws plenty of strikes thanks to a repeatable delivery. LaRue throws his fastball in the low 90s as well as a breaking ball that flashes plus. LaRue also shows feel for a third-pitch changeup with sinking action. While he has some power with the bat, most evaluators see his long-term future on the mound.”

The Toronto Blue Jays would select LaRue on the advice of scout Don Norris in the 25th round, but LaRue held firm to his commitment to Auburn once the draft completed its first five rounds.

Playing time was limited to just 25 games during LaRue’s freshman and sophomore campaigns with the Tigers. He batted .294 in eight games during a COVID-shortened 2020 season and slugged .464 with an on-base-plus-slugging percentage of .802 in 2021 thanks to two doubles and two home runs. LaRue pitched an inning and became the first Auburn Tiger since Josh Donaldson in 2007 to start a game behind the plate and make an appearance on the mound in the same season. He got in more seasoning at the summer college circuit by posting a batting line of .360/.529/.400 (AVG/OBP/SLG) in 10 games with the Strasburg Express of the Valley League. LaRue also made two appearances on the mound and dominated by pitching two perfect innings and striking out all six batters he faced with the Express.

The 2022 season saw LaRue earn more time playing behind the pentagon and threw out 12 of 22 base stealers and made just two errors in 442 chances. Though he batted just .211, LaRue came through in the clutch during the Tigers’ drive to Omaha. He was named to the Auburn Regional All-Tournament team after hitting two home runs against Southeastern on June 3 and driving in three RBI to help the Tigers down UCLA on June 5 to advance to the Corvallis Super Regional. Auburn would reach the College World Series and came up with a win against number two-ranked Stanford before bowing out. LaRue also saw a bit more time on the bump with 5⅓ innings of one-run ball with four strikeouts over five appearances.

Heading into 2023, LaRue made the Buster Posey Catcher of the Year Award preseason watch list and he was up to the task defensively by throwing out nine runners trying to steal, picking off six others and turning in a fielding percentage of .993 in 48 games. He extended his season by heading to the MLB Draft League to join the Williamsport Crosscutters, a squad managed by former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Jesse Litsch.

The Blue Jays would sign LaRue as a free agent on July 16 and assign him to the Florida Complex League where he would play nine games. He walked in his first professional plate appearance on August 1 against the FCL Tigers and his first professional hit was a walkoff single against the FCL Tigers on August 14. The year ended with a one-game cameo at Double-A New Hampshire.

In 2024, LaRue began the year on New Hampshire’s 60-day injured list because of an ankle injury. He would return to the field and recorded a double in his first game back in the FCL on July 15. LaRue was promoted to Low-A Dunedin and doubled in his first Florida State League at-bat, driving in two runs in a win against Fort Myers on July 27. He would not play again until September as he was placed on the Development List on July 30. LaRue returned to New Hampshire and scored the Fisher Cats final run of the 2024 season after drawing a walk in his penultimate at-bat on September 15.

The Blue Jays had presented the idea of LaRue becoming a pitcher before the 2024 campaign but he wanted to continue wearing the tools of ignorance. Despite a career caught stealing rate near 42 percent, LaRue’s days with the catching gear and bat were numbered as he would take up pitching full-time heading into 2025.

LaRue struck out the first batter he faced and earned the win in his professional debut for Dunedin against Tampa on April 23. After a tough first half of the year, he recorded a 2.79 earned run average over 9⅔ innings in July and had five scoreless appearances out of six in August before being promoted to Vancouver on August 21. LaRue was on the hill three times for the C’s, striking out five batters over five innings.

C’s Plus Baseball spoke with the 24-year-old LaRue before the final game of the 2025 regular season against Everett in September.

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C’s Plus Baseball – Nate, how did you get started in baseball?

Nate LaRue – Yeah, you know, just like everyone who’s in baseball, you grow up playing T-ball, and then coach-pitch, and then travel ball, and middle school ball, high school ball, college, and here you are now.

CPB – When you look back on your amateur playing career, any moments or any big games that stand out for you?

NL – Absolutely. Two in particular. In high school, my senior year, we won the state championship. First time in my school’s 119 years of being open that we had ever won. So that was super cool. And then, obviously, every college baseball player dreams of going to Omaha, and so being able to beat Oregon State in Corvallis in their Super Regional and making it to Omaha was also a highlight of my career.

CPB – Did you get a lot of college interest before you made your decision (to attend Auburn)?

NL – Not really, honestly. I think I had an offer from Alabama, and I talked with Tulane, Vanderbilt, a little bit with Mississippi State and Auburn. And Auburn was where I wanted to go. I knew that from the second I stepped on campus. And, you know, BT (head coach Butch Thompson) and Nonie (assistant coach Karl Nonemaker) and Gabe (assistant coach and former Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Gabe Gross), I mean, there’s just not a better place in the world.

CPB – What was that like competing in the SEC conference?

NL – You know, you come in as a freshman, and you’re the guy on your high school team. And then you get to college, and especially at SEC ball, everybody on the team’s the guy on their high school team. And so my freshman year, (I was) taking in a lot and learning and really just seeing how the older guys handle themselves and carry themselves.

CPB – When did you make the full-time transition to pitching?

NL – This past offseason was the first full year I’ve had pitching. I’ve always two-wayed. I two-wayed last spring training while I was catching. And then this year is my first full year pitching.

CPB – Do you miss hitting at all?

NL – Not one bit.

CPB – How’s that transition been going for you, now that you’re able to focus your energy full-time on pitching?

NL – It was really rough at first. A lot of learning curves, a lot of growth. But, you know, I’ve got a lot of good people in my corner, a lot of people that really care about me and my career and want to see me succeed. And so, really just talking with them and getting a good knowledge of what I need to work on, especially with the coaching staff in Dunedin at the PDC (Player Development Complex) and up here. Everybody from teammates to coaches has helped me this year get to where I am.

CPB – You talk about the PDC. What did you learn about yourself there? I know they got all this technology, all the bells and whistles, but was there maybe something you learned about yourself that maybe you didn’t know before or what stood out to you?

NL – I don’t throw as hard as I think I do. I had a decent arm behind the plate, but on the mound, you know, everybody nowadays throws 95 to 100 (miles per hour). And so, you know, I don’t have that in the tank right now. Maybe next year, hopefully next year, but I’m really just learning how to pitch with that, how to pitch with what I have and not trying to step out of who I am.

CPB – I know everything’s about analytics these days. Velo, arm angle, that sort of thing. Maybe was there something else that may have stood out maybe as far as how your pitches work or anything like that?

NL – Coming from being a catcher, I don’t really understand all the metrics and everything quite yet. So my whole philosophy is, you know, the hitter’s going to tell you if you’re good or not. If you’re throwing strikes and the hitters are taking bad swings or good swings on it, then that kind of tells you what your stuff looks like that day.

CPB – Do you feel having been a catcher has helped you with both sides of the pitcher/catcher equation?

NL – Absolutely. It’s a little different reading swings from the mound versus behind the plate. But having that prior knowledge of how to call a game and what hitters would be looking for in the (batter’s box), I think, has definitely helped me along, especially these past couple of months where you face the team three or four times already and you know what they got and they know what you got. It’s a cat and mouse game and how can you compete?

CPB – Talk about your pitch mix, what is it that you are throwing right now?

NL – I’m throwing a four-seam fastball, a slider and a changeup.

CPB – The slider. Did anyone teach you that grip or is that something you just kind of figured out?

NL – It was really bad earlier early in the year. So I went through a couple of different grips trying to find something that worked. And one day I was doing catch-play. And I had a random thought, you know, ‘Why don’t I grip it like I did when I was 14?’ And so I gripped it like I did when I was 14. And that was probably two months ago now and I hadn’t switched from it since so it’s been working out well.

CPB – The changeup, is it a circle change or split change? How do you describe it?

NL – Circle change.

CPB – Did you figure that out by yourself or did somebody teach you that?

NL – You know, I don’t really know. Last offseason, I just kind of picked up a baseball and I thought, ‘I can feel the seams. I like the way that feels in my hand. So we’re gonna throw this and see what happens.’

CPB – We’re here at the end of the season. What is it that you’re going to be looking to work on heading into 2026?

NL – Really, recovery. Being able to bounce back quick after outings. This year has been a lot of learning and a lot of watching and learning my body. I got to learn my body in a whole different sense now of how these things in the training room work best for me. And these things make me sore for a couple days. So really just figuring out what I can do on certain days to try and bounce back as quickly as possible to get as many appearances as possible.

CPB – You were originally drafted by the Blue Jays, but you decided to go to college. But was it a big temptation to maybe turn pro at that point or you just figured school was the right choice for you?

NL – Yeah, I think the Pirates wanted to sign me in the 11th. By that point, I’d already kind of decided on going to school. But then my area scout, Don Norris, he gave me a call. He said, ‘Hey man, you know, we just drafted you.’ I told him, ‘You know, I really appreciate the offer, but I’m going to go to school and hopefully see you in a couple of years.’ And so in 2023, after my senior season at Auburn, Mr. Don Norris called me again. He said, ‘Hey buddy, it’s me again. You know, we want to sign you here. You good to go?’ I said,’Yes sir. Let’s ride.’

CPB – That’s got to feel nice for you that they kept you in mind anyway. How did it feel signing finally that professional contract?

NL – It was awesome. I mean, growing up playing ball is what you dream of, you know, just being able to have the opportunity is an extreme blessing and I’m extremely fortunate. I wouldn’t be here without God and my family.

CPB – When you got the word to go to Vancouver, was there a funny story involved with that? Because sometimes (the Dunedin coaching staff) like to have fun with you guys before they give you the news.

NL – So we were playing a double header in Lakeland that day. I had pitched in the first game. And I was actually late to the team meeting because I was cleaning up the bullpen. And so I was late to the team meeting. As soon as I walked in, I saw like Manny Beltre and Smitty (Austin Smith) and a couple other guys just kind of standing around. I said, ‘Oh, you know, there must be a meeting going on or something.’ And as soon as I walked in, Gil (Dunedin manager Gil Kim) started going, ‘You know, I saw this guy make his professional pitching appearance in Tampa. Pro ball is hard, especially doing it first year as a position change.’ And so, yeah, that’s pretty much it and then it was a whirlwind after that. I called my wife, call my mom and my parents-in-law and just everybody. It was very exciting.

CPB – What have you noticed pitching here in the Northwest League as compared to the Florida State League? Has it been a huge difference?

NL – Extremely. You know, it’s 115 degrees down there right now. You get worn out quick. Up here, the weather’s nice. That and just the atmosphere. I mean, the crowds here at Nat Bailey are just unbelievable. I mean, it truly feels like playing a Friday night in the SEC again. You know, we got a couple of SEC guys and I mean, that’s the first thing we all compared to is like, this feels like a really big game on a Friday night in the SEC.

CPB – Final couple of questions. Just want to ask, did you have a favourite major league team or player growing up?

NL – Favorite player was Charlie Blackmon. Super consistent on the show (MLB: The Show video game). Loved playing with him on The Show. Favourite team, I would probably say the Nationals because that was the first game I ever went to. It was a Nationals game. That’s about it, really.

CPB – My final question, the Canadians have lots of different uniforms—blue, black, red, gray, white, the lumberjack. Do you have a favourite?

NL – I’m a sucker for a good white uniform. I love a good home white.

Nate LaRue File

Born – July 27, 2001, in Mobile, Alabama
Height/Weight – 6’3”, 223 pounds
Bats/Throws – Right/Right
Uniform Numbers – Wore number 28 from 2020 to 2022 and number 24 for the Auburn Tigers in 2023. Wore number 24 for the Strasburg Express of the Valley Baseball League in 2021. Wore number 39 for the Williamsport Crosscutters in the MLB Draft League in 2023. Wore number 35 for the Florida Complex League Blue Jays and number 22 for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in 2023. Wore number 35 for the FCL Blue Jays, number 49 for the Dunedin Blue Jays and number 48 for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in 2024. Wore number 35 for Dunedin in 2025.
Twitter – @Ralue24
Instagram – @ralue24
Professional Debut – August 1, 2023, for the Florida Complex League Blue Jays at the FCL Tigers. Drew a walk in first plate appearance against Pedro Garcia.
First Professional Hit – August 14, 2023, for the FCL Blue Jays against the FCL Phillies. Walkoff RBI single against Luis Gomez.
Professional Pitching Debut – April 23, 2025, for the Dunedin Blue Jays at the Tampa Tarpons.
First Professional Strikeout – April 23, 2025, for Dunedin at Tampa. Struck out Edgleen Perez looking.
First Professional Win – April 23, 2025, for Dunedin at Tampa. Pitched one inning of one-run ball.
C’s Debut – August 24, 2025, versus the Tri-City Dust Devils. Pitched a perfect inning with one strikeout to earn a hold.
Now You Know – LaRue is the first Auburn Tiger to join the C’s since 2018-2019 catcher Brett Wright. Other Tiger alumni to have played in Vancouver are outfielders Kevin Patterson (2011) and Josh Palacios (2016).
The More You Know – Nate’s brother Cole LaRue played college basketball as a forward with the Kennesaw State Owls from 2021-2024.