Pirates All 40: Walks Only Thing Holding Kyle Nicolas Back

This is one in a series of stories breaking down members of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 40-man roster.

The Pittsburgh Pirates plan to retool their bullpen this winter after their relief pitchers had the third-worst ERA in the major leagues this year.

One holdover from the relief corps likely to be on the opening-day roster is right-hander Kyle Nicolas. He had a solid rookie season in 2024, going 2-2 with a 3.95 ERA in 51 games while striking out 55 batters in 54.1 innings.

Nicolas made his major-league debut by pitching in four games late in the 2023 season. He began this past season at Triple-A Indianapolis but earned a promotion after allowing only one run and two hits in 10.1 innings over nine relief appearances for a 0.84 ERA.

Nicolas spent the rest of the season in the major leagues, though he missed the last 13 games while on the injured list with a left oblique strain.

Like most rookies, Nicolas had his ups and downs. His ERA was 2.57 in 10 games in June and 0.84 in 10 games in July, but he had an 8.00 mark in 10 games in May and an 8.10 mark in seven games in September.

Unfortunately for Nicolas, he had a major meltdown in the Pirates’ most high-profile game of the season on May 11 against the Chicago Cubs.

Paul Skenes made his major-league debut that day on his way to winning the National League Rookie of the Year Award. Nicolas relieved Skenes in the fifth inning and gave up three consecutive four-pitch bases-loaded walks during a seven-run outburst that enabled the Cubs to turn a 6-1 deficit into an 8-7 lead. The Pirates wound up rallying for a 10-9 win.

The 6-foot-4, 223-pound Nicolas developed into one of MLB’s hardest throwers. His 97.4-mph average fastball velocity ranked in 94th percentile of league pitchers, his 6.8 feet of extension was in the 87th percentile and his 28.2 whiff percentage was in the 72nd percentile.

Nicolas’ spotty control was a concern, though. He had 31 walks, and his 13.1% walk rate was in the bottom two percentile of MLB pitchers.

The way the Pirates’ roster stands now, David Bednar will again be the closer despite a poor 2024 season, with Colin Holderman and Dennis Santana as the primary set-up relievers. Nicolas and Carmen Mlodzinski figure to work in middle relief.

However, the hard-throwing Nicolas could move into a higher-leverage role if he cuts down on the walks.