Pirates A to Z: Shifting from starter to bullpen helped Kyle Nicolas find way to majors

During the offseason, the Tribune-Review will offer Pirates A to Z, an alphabetical, player-by-player look at the 40-man roster.

Player: Kyle Nicolas

Position: Relief pitcher

Throws: Right

Age: 24

Height: 6-foot-4

Weight: 223 pounds

2023 MLB statistics: Went 0-0 with an 11.81 ERA and 2.06 WHIP, seven strikeouts and four walks in 5 1/3 innings over four appearances.

Contract: Not yet eligible for arbitration.

Acquired: From the Miami Marlins, along with pitcher Zach Thompson and outfielder Connor Scott, in exchange for catcher Jacob Stallings on Nov. 29, 2021.

This past season: Nicolas was one of five top-30 prospects who was disappointed to return to Double-A Altoona to start the season but ended up finishing it in the majors.

Like Henry Davis and, to a lesser extent, Liover Peguero, Nicolas didn’t end the season at the same position he started it.

Ranked the Pirates’ No. 26 prospect by MLB Pipeline, Nicolas was 2-4 with a 3.97 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 90 2/3 innings over 24 games, including 22 starts, for Double-A Altoona in 2022. He went 3-5 with a 4.36 ERA and 1.47 WHIP over 53 2/3 innings with 12 starts for the Curve before being promoted to Triple-A Indianapolis on June 16.

But Nicolas didn’t fare as well as a starter at Indianapolis. He was rocked for five runs on eight hits, including a three-run homer, over four innings in a 6-3 loss to Iowa in his Indy debut. After six starts, he was moved to the bullpen.

“I wasn’t doing very good as a starter in Indy,” Nicolas said. “They thought that was the best choice in the moment. I couldn’t do anything about it. I just had to change my role and try to put zeroes together, put good outings together. I had a little experience with relieving in college. I tried to embrace the role and stay within myself, not try to do too much and let it take care of itself.”

Nicolas found new life as a reliever, posting a 1.20 ERA and 0.80 WHIP with a .118 batting average against in his final 12 relief appearances. He recorded at least one strikeout in all 17 relief appearances.

“He’s been a different pitcher since he moved to the ‘pen in Indianapolis several weeks ago,” Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said, noting improvements in his velocity and strikeout rates. “He went through all the things a reliever has to do — the back-to-back (games), the multi innings, the dirty innings, etc. — and we felt like he had checked those boxes.”

Special moment for all of us! A lot of smiles, laughter, and a few tears of joy! Kyle Nicolas is officially a big leaguer. pic.twitter.com/6yPgKm0w3O

— Rich Maloney (@CoachMaloney) September 19, 2023

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With Nicolas eligible for the Rule 5 Draft, the Pirates promoted him to the majors Sept. 19 to protect him and get a glimpse of how he fit into the bullpen. To make room on the 28-man roster, they optioned righty reliever Thomas Hatch to Indianapolis. To create space on the 40-man roster, designated hitter Andrew McCutchen was transferred from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL.

Nicolas was shelled in his major league debut, allowing six runs on three hits and two walks and giving up a grand slam to Alexander Canario in the eighth inning of a 14-1 loss at the Chicago Cubs.

“It’s not exactly how you draw it up,” Nicolas said. “It’s just about getting your feet wet, getting that experience and learning from it. I learned to just relax. I was moving too quick out there. I reminded myself that it’s the same game. The mound is still 60 feet, 6 inches away. I’ve just got to execute my pitches. That game, I was not executing. Just simplifying it and reminding myself that I belong here and that it’s the same game.

“You get a taste of it early, and I never want to feel that again. Just preparing every day to be ready whenever my name is called. Just having that extra fire, not letting that happen because that was an awful feeling. But it’s baseball, man. You’re going to get kicked in the teeth. It won’t be the last time. Just being able to bounce back is the name of the game here, especially as a relief pitcher. There’s always tomorrow.”

When tomorrow came — the Pirates turned to Nicolas again Sept. 23 at Cincinnati — he recorded a pair of strikeouts against two walks, two doubles and one run in relief of lefty Bailey Falter as they rallied from a nine-run deficit for a 13-12 win in the biggest comeback in club history.

“We felt like, let’s give him a little bit of exposure here in the big leagues in what we knew would likely be competitive games, playoff atmosphere games where teams were pushing and give him a little exposure to that,” Cherington said. “The first night in Chicago didn’t go the way he wanted to. It was nice to see him bounce back.”

Over his final three appearances, Nicolas allowed one run on four hits and two walks with seven strikeouts over five innings, holding hitters to a .235 batting average. He pitched a scoreless seventh inning in the 3-0 win over Miami in the season finale.

“Obviously, this year was a big one for me,” Nicolas said. “It’s just been crazy, going from starting in Altoona and being a starter to changing to a reliever in Indy, then making it that way. It’s been a crazy year. I’m just happy to finish it here.”

This slider from Kyle Nicolas was NASTY

92.3 MPH, 2471 RPM, 27 inVB, 5 inHB pic.twitter.com/mlxfchW7M8

— Platinum Ke’Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) October 1, 2023

The future: The Pirates are high on Nicolas’ ability and believe the move to the bullpen helped the right-hander, much the same way it did for Carmen Mlodzinski.

Nicolas used Mlodzinski as inspiration, leaning on him to learn a routine. Other than that, Nicolas didn’t feel like he did much different as a pitcher in going from the rotation to a relief role.

“I wasn’t trying to throw harder, wasn’t trying to be nastier,” Nicolas said. “There’s a little less pressure to cover too many innings. I was just going out there, being free and executing. Instead of trying to cover six innings, in the bullpen there’s the mindset to just go out and get three outs. That helped me a lot, just to be free against every hitter and just attack.”

Given his background and the Pirates’ need for starting pitching, Nicolas could be a candidate to stretch out to be a starter again. But he appears to have found a groove in relief, even if he doesn’t have a defined role yet.

“The versatility I have is good for me and it’s good for the team,” Nicolas said. “However I can help the team is what I want to do. Obviously, being a starter, my arm has been built up to cover multiple innings but also I feel like I have the stuff to be a back-end guy, too. Honestly, whatever the team needs, I’m ready for it. I’m excited about going forward.”

The Pirates liked what they saw from Nicolas. He relies primarily on a two-pitch mix that features a four-seam fastball that averages 96.8 mph — which ranked in the 90th percentile, per Statcast — and a slider.

“He’s got a big arm, obviously, you can see it: High 90s velocity, a good slider,” Cherington said. “Like a lot of other pitchers that have been up and down in our ‘pen, he’s working on consistency. He’s got a chance to be a good major league pitcher in the future.”