Perrotto: Good Not Good Enough for Kyle Nicolas

Kyle Nicolas had a solid rookie season for the Pittsburgh Pirates last year. He wasn’t satisfied with that.

The right-hander had a 2-2 record and a 3.95 ERA in 51 games, striking out 55 batters in 54.2 innings. The 26-year-old then spent a good chunk of the offseason at X2 Baseball, a training facility in Concord, N.C., in the Charlotte suburbs.

Nicolas believes he has improved following his winter’s work.

“Definitely the biggest key was breaking ball command. Just got to get them in the zone more,” Nicolas said. “And then just adding a changeup, that’s definitely a development that I’d like to see into my arsenal. And, a couple other things — just movement-wise, getting everything timed up so that I’m able to throw everything in the zone whenever I want. It was awesome.”

Nicolas hopes the changeup can be a difference maker. It is a pitch he has lacked since coming into professional baseball in 2020 as the Miami Marlins’ second-round draft pick from Ball State.

“Yeah, I mean that’s kind of been something I’ve been trying to work on every offseason since I got into pro ball,” Nicolas said. “But it kind of gets to a point where in the season, especially out of the bullpen, I’ll probably go with my three other pitches that are better than a changeup to get guys out. But you know, want to keep all my options open and be able to have as many tools in my toolbox as I can. So, we talked about that going into the offseason, adding a changeup or splitter. And I feel comfortable with where I’m at with the changeup.”

The offseason work is paying off. Nicolas had a good chance of making the team at the start of spring training and now he seems like a lock to be in the bullpen when the Pirates open the season on March 27 against the Marlins in Miami.

Nicolas has been dominant in Grapefruit League action, allowing one unearned run and four hits in eight innings over seven games with seven strikeouts. The only drawback is his seven walks, which is concerning because Nicolas had bouts of wildness last season when he walked 31 batters, an average of 5.1 per nine innings.

That is where the breaking ball command comes in.

“I feel like the shapes of my breaking balls have been good,” Nicolas said. “It’s just where my body’s taking it, it’s taking it out of the zone. Just staying more through the zone, through my target rather than falling off toward first base. And all of that just leads to more consistency in the zone.”

Being consistent was one of the biggest lessons Nicolas learned as a rookie, which was his first full professional season as a reliever. He learned to have a consistent daily routine and not to get too high or low with the ups and downs inherent in a 162-game season.

“For sure, everyone says it, but this game’s 90% mental,” Nicolas said. “I mean, it’s a grind every day. It’s more of a grind, mentally, for the most part for me. You got to be locked in every day. You got to let things pass when you don’t have a good day. You got to rebound the next day. You can’t let it fester and carry over into your next outing or next game.

“So, for me, that was the transition I needed to make when I moved from a starter to a reliever where it’s like, there were a couple times last year where I gave up walk-off hits, and then I’m in there the next day. So, you got to just let it go after it happens and be ready for the next day because every single game’s a new opportunity for us to win, and you got to be ready to contribute.”

With the way he has pitched this spring, Nicolas has the look of a major contributor.