Prospect Watch: Winston Nicacio Improving After Organization Switch
When the Pittsburgh Pirates took Winston Nicacio in the Minor League portion of the 2019 Rule 5 Draft, they knew he needed some work. His control had been up and down during his first three years in the St. Louis Cardinals system, and he was struggling to find himself in professional ball. They worked with him extensively in the off-season to teach him how to control his pitches and become more of a pitcher than just a hard thrower. By the end of 2019, Nicacio looked to have his control managed and posted the lowest walk percentage of his professional career to date, split between two levels of the Minor League system.
Nicacio pitched between Short Season and Low-A last year and posted good numbers going 4-4 with a 2.80 ERA split between starting and the bullpen. The key to his success was his career-low 5.7 walk percentage over 61 innings of work. He wasn't giving up as many free passes as he was in the past, and he was able to more effectively throw his pitches for strikes. He was always a big strikeout guy in his career, and that continued when he set down 55 guys last season while allowing an opponent batting average of just .225. Early on, Nicacio is looking like a good pick-up for Pittsburgh, but they will have to see how he does at the higher levels of the Minor Leagues.
Nicacio was signed as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2015. He was about to turn 17 when he signed his first professional contract and showed a lot of upside as a pitcher. It wasn't clear if his role would be in the starting rotation or the bullpen, but he had a fastball that could hit the low to mid-90s with a nice change-up to complement it. It was noted that he had control issues and was a raw talent, but the Cardinals were willing to work with him and get his control where it needs to be. He ended up starting his professional career in 2016 where he pitched for the Dominican Summer League Cardinals.
He appeared mostly as a starter that season and went through the normal ups and downs of a rookie season. He posted a 4.80 ERA, but gave up way more runs than that suggests with 6.63 runs allowed per nine innings. Of the 40 runs he allowed in 2016, only 29 of them were earned as he had some defensive problems behind him. His biggest downfall that season was the number of walks he allowed. He had a walk percentage of 13.8%, walking 36 batters in 54.1 innings of work. Couple that with an opponent batting average of .251, and it was a recipe for a lot of sticky situations for the young right-hander.
It was an awful start to the season for Nicacio as he had a difficult time making the transition to professional baseball. He had a 5.61 ERA heading into the month of August and had given up three or more runs in six of his 11 starts. Just when it looked like a lost season, Nicacio turned things around over the final three games doing what he does best, striking out batters. Over his final three starts of the season, he posted a 1.28 ERA in 14 innings of work. He ended up striking out 16 batters in those 14 innings of work and walked just three batters. With his control improving, the Cardinals decided to promote Nicacio to the Gulf Coast League Cardinals in 2017.
Nicacio was back in the starting rotation for the GCL Cardinals and took the transition well. He appeared in 11 games, making eight starts, and went 4-3 with a 2.61 ERA over 51.2 innings of work. His control was better than the year before as he walked 7.2% of the batters he faced. However, his strikeout rate dropped dramatically with only 39 strikeouts during the season. Part of the issue was that Nicacio went back to the basics, trying to see what would work to get him back on track. He started working deeper into games during the season, lasting six innings or more four times that season. After some rough starts at the beginning of the season, Nicacio turned things around and had a stretch of seven starts from July to August where he posted a 1.60 ERA.
After making one start with the Class-A Short Season State College Spikes and struggling early in the year, Nicacio was called back up at the end of the year making his final start of the year. It was one of his better outings of the year as he threw 4.1 scoreless innings of work while walking one and striking out three. The experience was big for the then 19-year-old for two reasons because it gave him confidence going into the off-season, and gave him some experience at the next level of the Minor Leagues. With that experience behind him, Nicacio was moved to Class Low-A baseball the next season.
He would remain a starter for the Low-A Peoria Chiefs and struggled mightily as a member of the starting rotation. He made just six starts for the Chiefs and went 1-1 with a 7.09 ERA in 27 innings of work. Only half of his starts were quality starts and he gave up more than three home runs in each of his other three appearances. His control issues returned, as he walked 15 batters, and his strikeout rate remained low, striking out 18. Nicacio had an opponent batting average of .269 and just wasn't finding ways to get opposing hitters out on a consistent basis. Because of his struggles, the Cardinals demoted him to Class-A Short Season State College so he could work on finding himself again on the mound.
He was used mostly as a reliever for the Spikes, and in 16 games posted a 3.24 ERA while going 3-2. It was the first time in his career that he primarily came out of the bullpen, and the transition had its pros and cons. On the positive side, his high strikeout rate returned (23.2%) and opponents weren't hitting him as much (.206). On the negative side, his walk rate was still very high as he allowed free passes to 12.1% of the passers he faced. He would mostly be used as a long-reliever and once he got into his role, he was almost untouchable. Over his final 11 starts, Nicacio had a 1.09 ERA while walking 12 and striking out 26 batters.
The Cardinals would leave Nicacio unprotected in the Minor League portion of the Rule 5 Draft, and the Pirates would take advantage, scooping him up. They sent him back to Class-A Short Season, where he pitched mostly as a reliever again. He built off his success from the end of the 2018 season, going 2-1 with a 2.96 ERA in 24.1 innings of work. He was still struggling with some control issues, but overall pitched well walking 11 and striking out 22. Nicacio continued working in long relief and stayed stretched out in case he was called upon as a starter. That would turn out to be the case, as he was promoted to Low-A Greensboro in late July and was put in the starting rotation.
He posted very similar numbers to what he had in Short-Season ball going 2-3 with a 2.70 ERA in 36.1 innings of work. The one clear difference was he almost stopped walking hitters. He allowed just three walks in his time with the Grasshoppers and struck out 33 hitters. His best stretch was right after the promotion when he allowed just one earned run in his first 21 innings of work. All but one of his five starts were quality starts as he started showing the tools of a starting pitcher. It is unclear what role Nicacio will play when he advances through the system, but he should have a shot at moving to Advanced-A Bradenton in 2021 if he pitches well in Greensboro at the beginning of the year.
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