Ball State University Athletics
Photo by: Indianapolis Indians
Kyle Nicolas Earns Major League Callup by Pittsburgh Pirates
September 18, 2023 | Baseball
Former Ball State pitcher Kyle Nicolas earned a major-league callup on Monday to become the fourth Cardinals baseball product to reach Major League Baseball in 2019.
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Drafted in the second round of the 2020 draft by Miami, Nicolas opened the 2023 season with Double-A Altoona in the Pirates organization. He made 12 starts in the Eastern League (4.36 ERA, 10.6 K/9) before a June promotion to Triple-A Indianapolis. With the Indians, he made just six starts before transitioning to the bullpen and has been on a hot streak since mid-August.
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The righty has used a high-90s fastball and a 90-mph slider during the recent turnaround that has caught the attention of Pirates executives. He has become a shut down reliever for the Indians, recording a pair of saves with a 1.29 ERA and 0.79 WHIP over the past month. In 11 appearances in that time, he boasts 23 strikeouts with 14.8 K/9.
Over 22 innings pitched in 15 appearances since August 1, he has allowed just 10 hits with 31 strikeouts.
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Nicolas joins former Cardinals Alex Call, Drew Jameson and Zach Plesac to appear in the big leagues this season.
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* Call, drafted in 2016, made his MLB debut with Cleveland last season and has spent the bulk of 2023 batting leadoff and playing outfield for the Washington Nationals.
* Jameson, a first-rounder in 2017, is a highly-coveted pitching prospect with Arizona who debuted last September. He appeared in 15 games this season (3.32 ERA) with three starts, but went on the injured list in July.
* Plesac was a 2016 pick who debuted in 2019 and remained with the Cleveland Guardians until earlier this season when he was optioned to Triple-A in May. He began the year in the big leagues but a 7.59 ERA over five starts prompted a demotion.
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Drafted in the second round of the 2020 draft by Miami, Nicolas opened the 2023 season with Double-A Altoona in the Pirates organization. He made 12 starts in the Eastern League (4.36 ERA, 10.6 K/9) before a June promotion to Triple-A Indianapolis. With the Indians, he made just six starts before transitioning to the bullpen and has been on a hot streak since mid-August.
Â
The righty has used a high-90s fastball and a 90-mph slider during the recent turnaround that has caught the attention of Pirates executives. He has become a shut down reliever for the Indians, recording a pair of saves with a 1.29 ERA and 0.79 WHIP over the past month. In 11 appearances in that time, he boasts 23 strikeouts with 14.8 K/9.
Over 22 innings pitched in 15 appearances since August 1, he has allowed just 10 hits with 31 strikeouts.
Â
Nicolas joins former Cardinals Alex Call, Drew Jameson and Zach Plesac to appear in the big leagues this season.
Â
* Call, drafted in 2016, made his MLB debut with Cleveland last season and has spent the bulk of 2023 batting leadoff and playing outfield for the Washington Nationals.
* Jameson, a first-rounder in 2017, is a highly-coveted pitching prospect with Arizona who debuted last September. He appeared in 15 games this season (3.32 ERA) with three starts, but went on the injured list in July.
* Plesac was a 2016 pick who debuted in 2019 and remained with the Cleveland Guardians until earlier this season when he was optioned to Triple-A in May. He began the year in the big leagues but a 7.59 ERA over five starts prompted a demotion.
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