In of itself, Juan Nicasio’s Friday start wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. Another pitcher making another spring training debut. However, it wasn’t just another start for Nicasio, it was his first start since being hit in the back of the neck with a line drive eight months ago. The liner broke Nicasio’s C-1 vertebrae, and many wondered how the right-hander’s life would be impacted, much less if he’d ever be able to pitch again.
But Nicasio defied the odds and has made remarkable progress. This hard work led to yesterday’s start. Yesterday’s start will lead to another and that to another, as it now appears that Nicasio is set to begin the season as a member of the Colorado Rockies starting rotation.
The 25-year-old logged two innings yesterday for the Rockies. Over that span, Nicasio allowed a single unearned run on five hits, with no walks and two strikeouts. More important than the stat line, Nicasio’s fastball was steadily hitting 93-94 mph, putting him where he was velocity-wise before his season-ending injury.
After the first pitch was thrown, the next big moment of Nicasio’s outing came when A’s hitter Eric Sogard scorched a liner back up the middle. Nicasio told Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post that the hit was “close”, but overall said he was more excited than nervous regarding his first start of the spring.
It’s great to see Nicasio return to the mound after such an ugly injury. Hopefully he is able to continue his major league career and continue the signs of progress he was showing last season. Yesterday was certainly a promising start.
For more on the Rockies, be sure to check out Rox Pile.
You can follow Call to the Pen on Twitter at @FSCalltothePen or like us here on Facebook.