In The System: Nicolas making strides with mechanics, mental approach

Whenever I talk to minor-league coaches, I will often ask at the end of the interview which player am I not paying enough attention to. The coach works with these players every day. What do they see that isn't getting enough attention?

It didn't take Altoona Curve pitcher Cale Johnson much time to think about that answer whenever I recently posed that questions.

"I think [Kyle] Nicolas has got a really bright future," he responded.

"He's moving better this year," Johnson said about the right-hander. "He's been more consistent... He's run into some hard luck a couple times, so maybe the numbers may not jump out at you. But if you look deeper, you can see the underlying numbers."

Movement has been key for Nicolas. He still has that mid-90s fastball that made him a Competitive Balance Round B pick with the Marlins in 2020 and attracted the Pirates to him in the Jacob Stallings trade in 2021. His slider has been revamped this year, trading in some horizontal movement for more velocity and making it a slider-cutter hybrid. The curveball is also coming out of the hand more consistently.

They are the ingredients for success, but the 24-year-old righty's numbers are middling, as Johnson referred to. He's 3-5 with a 4.05 ERA, but has cut his walk rate (12.% to 9.6%) while maintaining the strikeouts. The batted ball peripherals, generally, also paint a better picture.

When asked about those improvements, it comes to two things for Nicolas. The first is his mechanics, something he and Johnson have focused on this season. Nicolas has a tendency to get "jumpy" and out in front of himself whenever he is moving to his load. The focus now is stay back and make sure he stays over the mound longer and let his back half work.

"When I've got that fastball command, I feel like I'm as good as any pitcher there is," Nicolas was telling me.

It was a change the two zeroed in on after Nicolas' first couple starts did not go as planned. It's been a gradual process over the past two months, but one that has seen steady returns.

"I think we both noticed it after the first few weeks of the season," Nicolas said. "The command wasn't all there. The breaking balls weren't doing what they were supposed to be doing. I think we both knew there could be something here."

The other change was harder: Nicolas had to learn to be patient.

This is Nicolas' third straight year in Class AA, finishing 2021 there with the Marlins and spending all of 2022 with the Curve. He admitted he got antsy wondering why he didn't get to Class AAA Indianapolis last year, and that impacted his preparation work and results.

"Last year, there were a lot of ups and downs, and it was a pretty frustrating year for me baseball wise," Nicolas said. "I maybe didn't do as good a job last year at getting a routine, like this thing I'm buying into right now movement wise, and finding what works for me. This year, I think we've done a much better job recognizing it. This is the happiest I've been as a pitcher."

With that better mentality, Nicolas is now second among all Pirate minor-leaguers with 56 strikeouts in just 46 2/3 innings (10.8 K/9). He has more to work with Johnson before that call to Indianapolis, and he's taking it in stride.

"The way I'm looking at it, I'm preparing for my future, just right here, right now," Nicolas said. "And I'm feeling pretty good about it."

WHO IS HOT?

AAA Indianapolis: Right-hander Quinn Priester is certainly making a good case for a call up to the majors. He is 5-0 with a 2.27 ERA and 28 strikeouts over his last six starts, totaling 31 2/3 innings. After a shaky start to the season, Priester now ranks second in the International League among qualified pitchers in FIP (3.42).

AA Altoona: Outfielder Matt Gorski is hitting .400 (16-for-40) with two home runs, three doubles and 10 RBIs during his current 11-game on-base streak. He's swiped nine bases on 10 attempts this season, continuing the good efficiency he had last year when he swiped 20 in 23 tries.

A+ Greensboro: Outfielder Jase Bowen hit a grand slam on Sunday for his 10th home run of the year, which is tied for third in the South Atlantic League. The 22-year-old former 11th-round pick is leading the league and all Pirate farmhands with 40 RBIs.

A- Bradenton: Right-hander J.P. Massey was named the Florida State League Pitcher-of-the-Month for May after he went 1-0 with a 0.72 ERA over a league-leading 25 innings pitched. Massey has gotten a few shoutouts in this feature of late, and last year's seventh-round pick is up to 48 strikeouts in 38 1/3 innings this season.

SOMETHING TO WATCH

Henry Davis finally was promoted Sunday, going from Altoona to Indianapolis. After months of Ben Cherington and John Baker stressing that both he and Endy Rodríguez need to catch every day, the inevitable has happened and they'll split time behind home. That means Davis will primarily play right field in his non-catching days and Rodríguez first base.

The question becomes how long does that arrangement last? Cherington says he anticipates them splitting time fairly evenly right now, but I've had conversations with scouts and analysts who are skeptical that Davis will stick behind the plate long term, with one giving me a Kyle Schwarber comp.

Even Cherington left the door open that a 50-50 split may not be the long-term solution.

"There certainly could be a week where we push it one way or the other," Cherington said Monday. "It could be for any number of reasons. it may not have anything to do with what they're doing defensively. It could be for a different reason. So, that could happen. But we'll take it a week at a time and be in touch with our Triple-A staff and make that determination going into each week."

Of course, this is just speculation for what might happen down the road. The Pirates have long maintained they view both as catchers. If this works out that both split major-league reps 50-50 in the near future, that is by far the best case scenario.

INJURY NEWS

Right-handed reliever Colin Selby (shoulder) started doing plyo and strengthening work this week. First baseman Malcom Nuñez consulted additional doctors this week to get a look at his right shoulder impingement. He is not throwing or hitting. Travis Swaggerty was returned Indianapolis after his rehab assignment with Bradenton.

CLIP OF THE WEEK

Canaan Smith-Njigba didn't get a ton of runway to prove himself in the majors before moving to a bench role in April, but he's crushing the ball in Indianapolis. He's homered seven times in his first 26 games at that level, including this grand slam Saturday:

TOP 5 HITTERS, BASEBALL AMERICA

C Endy Rodríguez (AAA): 179 PA, .247/.341/.396, 4 HR, 16 RBI

INF Termarr Johnson (A-): 128 PA, .262/.406/.379, 2 HR, 13 RBI

C Henry Davis (AA): 187 PA, .284/.433/.547, 10 HR, 27 RBI

INF Liover Peguero (AA): 208 PA, .259/.337/.416, 5 HR, 25 RBI

INF Nick Gonzales (AAA): 197 PA, .249/.345/.432, 5 HR, 20 RBI

TOP 5 PITCHERS, BASEBALL AMERICA

RHP Luis Ortiz (AAA): 2-1, 2.23 ERA, 29 K, 32 1/3 IP in minors (currently with MLB team)

RHP Quinn Priester (AAA): 6-3, 4.38 ERA, 53 K, 51 1/3 IP

RHP Bubba Chandler (A+): 2-2, 6.63 ERA, 45 K, 38 IP

RHP Thomas Harrington (A-): 4-1, 3.27 ERA, 44 K, 41 1/3 IP

LHP Anthony Solometo (A+): 2-3, 2.77 ERA, 57 K, 48 2/3 IP