In the bigs: Pittsburgh Pirates call up Jackson product Kyle Nicolas from Indianapolis
JACKSON TWP. — Kyle Nicolas is a big leaguer.
The Jackson High School alum was called up by the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday afternoon from Triple-A Indianapolis. He made his Major League Baseball debut later that night at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs.
Nicolas is the first Jackson product to make an MLB roster. He is the first Stark County product to make it to the big leagues since Canton South's Dirk Hayhurst, who pitched with the San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays for parts of the 2008 and 2009 seasons.
The 24-year-old Nicolas, a 6-foot-4, 223-pound right-hander, was 4-7 with a 5.20 ERA in 35 appearances (18 starts) over the course of the season with Double-A Altoona and Indianapolis. MLB Pipeline ranks Nicolas as the Pirates' No. 26 prospect.
A starter most of his career, he's pitched well since moving to the bullpen. He was 1-0 with a 3.67 ERA and 2-for-2 in save opportunities in 17 relief appearances with Indianapolis. He struck out 42 batters in 27.0 innings as a reliever.
In his 12 most recent appearances, that ERA dropped to 1.20.
Heat 'em up in the big leagues, @kylenicolas19. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/SHFxIdfbpk
— Indianapolis Indians (@indyindians) September 19, 2023
The Pirates optioned right-hander Thomas Hatch to Indianapolis to make room for Nicolas. They also transferred outfielder Andrew McCutchen from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list.
Nicolas' former Jackson teammate Dillon Dingler currently is with Triple-A Toledo in the Detroit Tigers organization.
Nicolas and Dingler led Jackson to the 2017 Division I baseball state championship after being part of the school's Division I boys basketball state championship that same year.
A Ball State product, Nicolas was selected 61st overall by the Miami Marlins in the 2020 draft. He was traded to the Pirates organization in November 2021 as part of a deal centered around catcher Jacob Stallings.
Nicolas had a rough debut Tuesday. Entering in the eighth inning, Nicolas recorded one out and was charged with six earned runs. He hit a batter, walked two and allowed three hits, including a grand slam by Alexander Canario.
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This article originally appeared on The Repository: Major League Baseball: Kyle Nicolas promoted to Pittsburgh Pirates
