Kyle Nicolas was itching for some competition this offseason, so he came into spring training ready to go and his results through seven games this have shown that.
Today's 10-run win over the Orioles brought two shutout innings of work for Nicolas as he allowed just two hits, walked one and struck out two. While throwing eight innings this spring, the hard-throwing right-hander who has consistently thrown in the upper 90s has yet to allow a run while striking out seven.
Nicolas used a three-pitch mix -- fastball, slider and curveball -- this afternoon and induced two double plays to end both the sixth and seventh innings. He recorded four of the top five fastest pitches of the day, maxing out at 99.4 mph.
"Just having the mentality to go get outs right from the start," Nicolas said about what's been working for him. "There’s obviously stuff you need to work on but for me I was itching to get back into some competition and get in some games. So, just the ability to start competing right away and my stuff has been there all spring, throwing hard, breaking stuff is sharp, I’ve been able to execute it pretty well. So, I mean executing and competing has been fun."
Last season was Nicolas' first full extended stay at the major-league level. He appeared in 51 games, went 2-2 and recorded a 3.95 ERA while working 54 1/3 innings. But, his main focus this spring has been developing consistency. There were times last year where Nicolas would put together one or two good outings before having an off night and that pattern repeated throughout the year.
In August, he went eight straight appearances without allowing a run, but during his final two appearances of the month, Nicolas allowed four earned runs in 1 2/3 innings of work while walking three.
"We’ve seen the stuff and he has the ability to be a leverage back-end reliever with how good his stuff is," Derek Shelton said earlier this spring. "We just have to make sure there’s consistency to it. Sometimes that comes during your next year in the big leagues. Your rookie year, it’s a challenge to stay that consistent but I think that’s what we’re looking for there."
It was something that Nicolas focused on throughout the offseason and into the spring. He said that, for him, the key to developing that consistency isn't necessarily about having a different mental approach or tweaking his mechanics, but about having a greater understanding of his arsenal on a nightly basis.
"It’s very rare when you are going to go out there and have all of your stuff dialed in," Nicolas said. "So, it’s just finding the way of Alright, what do I have today? What’s working? Where do the hitters not swing well? What are they taking bad swings on and being able to compete with one or two pitches if you don’t have all of them that day. So it’s just kind of recognizing that and it’s just competing after that."
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THE ASYLUM
Greg Macafee
7:10 pm - 03.15.2025Bradenton, Fla.Nicolas' 'compete mode' paying
Kyle Nicolas was itching for some competition this offseason, so he came into spring training ready to go and his results through seven games this have shown that.
Today's 10-run win over the Orioles brought two shutout innings of work for Nicolas as he allowed just two hits, walked one and struck out two. While throwing eight innings this spring, the hard-throwing right-hander who has consistently thrown in the upper 90s has yet to allow a run while striking out seven.
Nicolas used a three-pitch mix -- fastball, slider and curveball -- this afternoon and induced two double plays to end both the sixth and seventh innings. He recorded four of the top five fastest pitches of the day, maxing out at 99.4 mph.
"Just having the mentality to go get outs right from the start," Nicolas said about what's been working for him. "There’s obviously stuff you need to work on but for me I was itching to get back into some competition and get in some games. So, just the ability to start competing right away and my stuff has been there all spring, throwing hard, breaking stuff is sharp, I’ve been able to execute it pretty well. So, I mean executing and competing has been fun."
Last season was Nicolas' first full extended stay at the major-league level. He appeared in 51 games, went 2-2 and recorded a 3.95 ERA while working 54 1/3 innings. But, his main focus this spring has been developing consistency. There were times last year where Nicolas would put together one or two good outings before having an off night and that pattern repeated throughout the year.
In August, he went eight straight appearances without allowing a run, but during his final two appearances of the month, Nicolas allowed four earned runs in 1 2/3 innings of work while walking three.
"We’ve seen the stuff and he has the ability to be a leverage back-end reliever with how good his stuff is," Derek Shelton said earlier this spring. "We just have to make sure there’s consistency to it. Sometimes that comes during your next year in the big leagues. Your rookie year, it’s a challenge to stay that consistent but I think that’s what we’re looking for there."
It was something that Nicolas focused on throughout the offseason and into the spring. He said that, for him, the key to developing that consistency isn't necessarily about having a different mental approach or tweaking his mechanics, but about having a greater understanding of his arsenal on a nightly basis.
"It’s very rare when you are going to go out there and have all of your stuff dialed in," Nicolas said. "So, it’s just finding the way of Alright, what do I have today? What’s working? Where do the hitters not swing well? What are they taking bad swings on and being able to compete with one or two pitches if you don’t have all of them that day. So it’s just kind of recognizing that and it’s just competing after that."
Want to participate in our comments?
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Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
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