What’s up with Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Juan Nicasio?
The Pittsburgh Pirates have themselves an often overlooked pitcher looking to create a name for himself in their rotation this year. This spring, he’s the best thing that club has going for the time being.
A career 4.88 ERA, K/9 of 7.4 and aged 29; These help illustrate what Juan Nicasio has been as a big leaguer to date. But right now, the Pittsburgh Pirates hurler is the hottest thing going in Spring Training. This isn’t real news, because it is still the preseason. But if you play fantasy baseball or are a Bucs fan, you’re certainly taking note of what he’s doing.
So too must bench boss Clint Hurdle be amused by Nicasio’s happenings. The Pirates were great in 2015, going 98-64 in an ultra competitive NL Central. The club hit and pitched well, with the rotation being led by right-hander Gerrit Cole (19-8, 2.60) and southpaw Francisco Liriano (12-7, 3.38). With Nicasio’s start to 2016, Hurdle should be hard pressed not penciling him into the five man rotation somewhere.
A native of the Dominican Republic, Nicasio signed as an amateur free agent in 2006 with the Colorado Rockies. Playing for a club that has been renowned as a pitcher’s nightmare since their inception in 1993, a young Nicasio struggled to produce early on. His numbers while in Colorado over four seasons, 88 games and 69 starts, were unimpressive. His 5.03 ERA and 4.19 FIP both loom larger than his overall career totals. Despite the thin air in Denver, Nicasio was okay at keeping the ball inside the park, with a career 1.2 HR/9 while in a Rockies uniform. It was his ugly 9.9 H/9 that likely led to many of his issues.
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Then a strange thing happened — Nicasio didn’t pitch for the Rockies in 2015 and his numbers improved vastly. In November of 2014, the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired the 6-foot-4 righty for outfield prospect Noel Cuevas. Nicasio pitched almost strictly in a relief effort for the stacked Dodgers’ pitching staff of yesteryear, but he did so fashionably.
Nicasio made Los Angeles’ 25-man roster from Opening Day and held onto his job all season. He led all relievers with 58.1 innings of work. His 3.86 ERA is deceiving, because his 2.83 FIP was the fourth best mark for any Dodgers pitcher with over 50 IP lasts season. His formidable 10 K/9 also showed Nicasio is capable of making hitters swing through his pitches on a regular basis. The one thing that did hurt him in 2015 was his high BB/9 rate of 4.9.
It’s obvious the move away from Coors Field helped Nicasio’s confidence. The Dodgers’ coaching staff probably had a lot to do with his improvements as well. He’ll turn 30 on August 31, so he has a decent opportunity to have a career year in Pittsburgh on his $3MM salary, and then cash in next year in arbitration.
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Currently in baseball’s Spring Training, statistically there is not a finer arm dealing to home plate than Nicasio’s. The competition isn’t as stiff, but even still, he’s blowing away former teammates like Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke. Through four starts and 15 total innings pitched, he is yet to allow an earned run while striking out 24. On March 16 versus Baltimore, he went four innings, fanning 10 while surrendering only two base runners. Last week against the Twins, Nicasio stayed white hot, striking out eight over five innings.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are aware Nicasio has plaus stuff. His fastball touched 99 mph last year and sat at 95. While opponents did hit his fastball fairly well last year (.282 BAA), they struggled more against his slider. Nicasio struck out 23.1 percent of batters on it and held them to a .224 BAA.
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If you’re looking for a late round sleeper on your fantasy squad, or a player likely to break out for the Bucs in 2016, Nicasio is a safe bet. His best career best WAR season was 1.1 in 2011. Assuming he makes Pittsburgh’s rotation, he will likely set a new personal best.