Chicago Cubs Draft: Three pitching gems in second round
By Ryan Sikes
Kyle Nicolas, RHP, Ball State
Ranked as the 69th best prospect in the class per Baseball America, Kyle Nicolas has shot up draft boards in recent weeks. At 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, he’s a big righty who pitched from both the rotation and back end of the bullpen at Ball State. In his freshman year, Nicolas made 15 appearances – including ten starts – and struck out 55 batters in 57.0 innings.
His command was shaky at best as he walked 44 batters and had 11 wild pitches while posting a 5.21 ERA. During his sophomore campaign, he struck out 82 batters in 55.1 innings (13.3 K/9) but, again, struggled to consistently find the strike zone, walking 51 batters. He made 24 appearances – including six starts – and limited opponents to a .200 average.
Nicolas wisely participated in the Cape Cod League during the summer of 2019, and while his numbers don’t directly reflect it, he appeared to fix some things in his mechanics.
Back on campus for his junior year, he made four starts before the shutdown and had struck out 37 batters in 23.0 innings while allowing just seven walks. Nicolas posted a 2.74 ERA and limited batters to a .188 average. It seemed like he was due for a breakout season.
Nicolas features a fastball that sits in the mid-90s, a slider in the high 80s, and a curveball near 81 MPH. He’ll need another pitch to stick in a major league rotation, but he can develop one throughout the minors.
Mechanically, he has a slight toe tap before beginning his windup. Once into his windup, he has an average leg kick and releases from the 3/4 arm slot. Based on his statistics at Ball State, he profiles closest to White Sox pitcher, Lucas Giolito, who also struggled to find his command prior to last season.
Giolito 2019: 3.41 ERA, 6.7 H/9, 1.2 HR/9, 2.9 BB/9, 11.6 K/9
Nicolas Ball State career: 5.12 ERA, 7.0 H/9, 0.6 HR/9, 6.8 BB/9, 11.6 K/9