Juan Ramón Nicasio (born August 31, 1986) is a Dominican former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. He played in

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(MLB) for the

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Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

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, and Texas Rangers. Nicasio made his major league debut in 2011. In 2017, he led the

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(NL) in appearances.

Early life

Nicasio was born in

San Francisco de Macorís San Francisco de Macorís is a city in the Dominican Republic located in the northeast portion of the island, in the Cibao region. It is the capital of the Duarte Province, and the sixth most populated city in the country. The name ''San Franci ...

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

, and grew up in nearby Arenoso, where his father, Francisco, farmed coffee and rice. His mother is Aurelia Nicasio and he has one sister, Adria.

Career

Colorado Rockies

Minor leagues

Nicasio signed with the

at age 19, as a non-drafted

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

on August 21, 2006. In 2006, he pitched for the DSL Rockies, going 2–1 with a 2.89 ERA in eight games (five starts), with 24 strikeouts in 28 innings. With the Rookie

Casper Rockies Casper may refer to: People * Casper (given name) * Casper (surname) * Casper (Maya ruler) (422–487?), ruler of the Mayan city of Palenque * Tok Casper, first known king of Maya city-state Quiriguá in Guatemala, ruling beginning in 426 * Dav ...

in 2007, Nicasio went 0–3 with a 4.36 ERA in 13 games (eight starts), with 33 strikeouts in 43.1 innings. In 2008, he pitched for the Class A-

Tri-City Dust Devils The Tri-City Dust Devils are a Minor League Baseball team in the northwest United States, based in Pasco, Washington. The Dust Devils are members of the Northwest League and are affiliated with the Los Angeles Angels. Tri-City plays their home gam ...

and went 2–4 with a 4.50 ERA in 12 starts, with 61 strikeouts in 54 innings. With the Class A

Asheville Tourists The Asheville Tourists are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Asheville, North Carolina. Asheville teams have played under the Tourists moniker in differen ...

in 2009, he was the August 7

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

Pitcher of the Week, and went 9–3 with a 2.41 ERA (leading the league) in 18 starts, striking out 115 batters in 112 innings of work, averaging 10.2 strikeouts per 9 innings.Juan Nicasio Stats, Highlights, Bio , MiLB.com Stats , The Official Site of Minor League Baseball
/ref>Juan Nicasio Stats, Fantasy & News , MLB.com
/ref> ''

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'' named him the 16th-best Rockies prospect. He played the 2010 season for the Class A+

Modesto Nuts The Modesto Nuts are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Modesto, California, and are named for the several types of nuts grown in the region. They play the ...

, for whom he was the April 19, August 16, and September 6

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leag ...

Pitcher of the Week. For the season he was 12-10 with a 3.91 ERA, with 171 strikeouts (leading the league, and tops in the Rockies organization) in 177.1 innings pitched. His 12 wins tied for the league lead. In 2011, pitching for the Class AA

Tulsa Drillers The Tulsa Drillers are a minor league baseball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club. Stadium The Drillers play at ONEOK Field (pronounc ...

before being called up to the major leagues, he was a mid-season

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

All Star, the Texas League Pitcher of the Week for May 1, and the Rockies organizational Pitcher of the Month for April. For the season he was 5-1 with a 2.22 ERA (2nd in the league), and 63 strikeouts in 56.2 innings, averaging 10.0 strikeouts per 9 innings.

Major leagues

On May 28, 2011, Nicasio was recalled from Double-A

Tulsa Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma and List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

to take

Jorge de la Rosa Jorge Alberto de la Rosa Gonzalez (born April 5, 1981) is a Mexican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals, Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago ...

's rotation spot. Nicasio made his debut that day, facing the

, pitching seven innings while giving up one

unearned run In baseball, an earned run is any run that was fully enabled by the offensive team's production in the face of competent play from the defensive team. Conversely, an unearned run is a run that would not have been scored without the aid of an err ...

. The Rockies won 15–4, giving Nicasio his first major league win. His first major league strikeout was of Jaime García. On August 5, 2011, while pitching in a game against the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

, Nicasio was struck in the head by a

line drive In the sports of baseball and softball, a batted ball is a pitch that has been contacted by the batter's bat. Batted balls are either fair or foul, and can be characterized as a fly ball, pop-up, line drive, or ground ball. In baseball, a fou ...

off the bat of Nationals shortstop

Ian Desmond Ian Morgan Desmond (born September 20, 1985) is an American former professional baseball infielder and outfielder. He played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals, Texas Rangers and Colorado Rockies. Desmond is a ...

. Nicasio lost his balance, and fractured a

vertebra The spinal column, a defining synapomorphy shared by nearly all vertebrates,Hagfish are believed to have secondarily lost their spinal column is a moderately flexible series of vertebrae (singular vertebra), each constituting a characteristic ...

in his neck when he fell to the ground. During emergency surgery, doctors inserted pins into the fractured C-1 vertebra and secured a metal plate to the back of his neck. His recuperation was remarkably quick. Eleven days after the incident, he visited the dugout at

Coors Field Coors Field is a baseball stadium in downtown Denver, Colorado. It is the home field of Major League Baseball's Colorado Rockies. Opened in 1995, the park is located in Denver's Lower Downtown neighborhood, two blocks from Union Station. The sta ...

wearing a neck brace, and came out on the field to a standing ovation. He continued to improve through physical therapy, and that winter he eased back into pitching in the Dominican Republic. For the season, he was 4-4 with a 4.14 ERA, and 58 strikeouts in 71.2 innings.Juan Nicasio Stats , Baseball-Reference.com
/ref> Nicasio returned to the mound for the Rockies in April 2012 and that season he made a total of 11 appearances, with a 2–3 record and 5.28 ERA, and 54 strikeouts in 58 innings. On June 1, he injured his left knee while fielding a

ground ball In the sports of baseball and softball, a batted ball is a pitch that has been contacted by the batter's bat. Batted balls are either fair or foul, and can be characterized as a fly ball, pop-up, line drive, or ground ball. In baseball, a fou ...

. After several attempts to drain the fluid in the knee failed, he underwent

arthroscopic surgery Arthroscopy (also called arthroscopic or keyhole surgery) is a minimally invasive surgical procedure on a joint in which an examination and sometimes treatment of damage is performed using an arthroscope, an endoscope that is inserted into the jo ...

in July and missed the remainder of the season. Nicasio came back in 2013 and made 31 starts. He had a 9–9 record and 5.14 ERA, and 119 strikeouts in 157.2 innings. In 2014, he appeared in 33 games (14 of them starts, and the first 19 relief appearances of his major league career). He had a 6–6 record and 5.38 ERA, and 63 strikeouts in 93.2 innings. He also pitched 10 games for the Class AAA

Colorado Springs Sky Sox The Colorado Springs Sky Sox were a Minor League Baseball team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and was the Triple-A affiliate of the major league Milwaukee Brewers (2015–2018), Colorado Rockie ...

, going 3-2 with a 4.54 ERA, and one save, and 36 strikeouts in 35.2 innings, averaging 9.1 strikeouts per 9 innings. The Rockies designated Nicasio for assignment on November 20, 2014, and on November 24, 2014, he was traded to the

for a player to be named later or cash considerations. On December 16, minor league outfielder

Noel Cuevas Noel A. Cuevas (born October 2, 1991) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies. Career Los Angeles Dodgers Cuevas was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in th ...

was sent to the Rockies to complete the trade.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Nicasio signed a one-year, $2.3 million contract with the Dodgers on January 16, 2015, avoiding salary arbitration. Nicasio pitched out of the

bullpen In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if t ...

for the Dodgers during the 2015 season, though he made a spot start on June 2. In 53 appearances, he was 1–3 with one save and a 3.86 ERA, and 65 strikeouts in 58.1 innings, averaging 10.0 strikeouts per 9 innings. The Dodgers chose not to offer him a contract after the season, and he became a free agent.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On December 10, 2015, Nicasio signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the

. Following a stellar 2016

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

that saw him strike out 24 batters in 15 innings without conceding a run, as well as displaying excellent fastball velocity, Nicasio made the Pirates rotation to begin the year, beating out veteran

Ryan Vogelsong Ryan Andrew Vogelsong (born July 22, 1977), nicknamed "Vogey", is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates and in Nippon Professional Baseball (N ...

. On July 4, Nicasio became only the 74th player to pitch an

immaculate inning In baseball, a strikeout occurs when a pitcher throws three strike zone, strikes to a Batting (baseball), batter during his time at bat. An immaculate inning occurs when a pitcher strikes out all three batters he faces in one inning, using the mi ...

in a major-league game. For the 2016 season, he was 10–7 with a 4.50 ERA, and 138 strikeouts in 118 innings, averaging 10.5 strikeouts per 9 innings. In 2017 with the Pirates, he was 2–5 with two saves. He had a 2.85 ERA, and 60 strikeouts in 60 innings.

Philadelphia Phillies

Nicasio was claimed off waivers by the

on August 31, 2017. The Phillies placed Nicasio on their Major League active roster on September 1. With the Phillies, he was 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 1.1 innings.

St. Louis Cardinals

On September 6, 2017, the Phillies traded Nicasio to the

for infielder Eliézer Álvarez, and for the Cardinals he was 2-0 with four saves and a 1.64 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 11 innings. In aggregate in 2017, between the Pirates, Phillies, and Cardinals he led the NL in appearances with 76, as he was 5-5 with six saves, 21

hold Hold may refer to: Physical spaces * Hold (ship), interior cargo space * Baggage hold, cargo space on an airplane * Stronghold, a castle or other fortified place Arts, entertainment, and media * Hold (musical term), a pause, also called a Fermat ...

s (tied for 9th in the league), and a 2.61 ERA, and in 72.1 innings he gave up 20 walks and had 72 strikeouts. He pitched on consecutive days 19 times. Nicasio averaged 2.5 walks and 9.0 strikeouts per 9 innings.

Seattle Mariners

Nicasio signed a two-year contract with the

on December 20, 2017. Nicasio received a $500,000

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

, salaries of $7.5 million in 2018 and $9 million in 2019, and could earn an additional $3.5 million annually in performance bonuses for games finished. In 2018, he was 1-6 with one save and a 6.00 ERA. In 42 innings, he gave up 5 walks and had 53 strikeouts. He averaged 1.1 walks and 11.4 strikeouts per 9 innings. He led all AL relievers in strikeout/walk ratio (10.60).Juan Nicasio Stats, Fantasy & News , MLB.com
/ref> He was on the disabled list twice in the season, once with right

knee effusion Knee effusion, informally known as water on the knee, occurs when excess synovial fluid accumulates in or around the knee joint. It has many common causes, including arthritis, injury to the ligaments or meniscus, or fluid collecting in the burs ...

and once with right knee inflammation.

Return to Philadelphia

On December 3, 2018, the Mariners traded Nicasio,

Jean Segura Jean Carlos Enrique Segura ( ; born March 17, 1990), nicknamed El Mambo, is a Dominican professional baseball shortstop and second baseman for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has played in MLB for the Los Angeles Angels of A ...

, and

James Pazos James Manuel Pazos (pronounced PAH-zohse; born May 5, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has also played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, and Colorado Rockies. He ...

to the

for

Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist who rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band Santana, which pioneered a fusion of Rock and roll and Latin American jazz. Its sound featured ...

and

J. P. Crawford John Paul Crawford (born January 11, 1995) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). After growing up in Lakewood, California, Crawford attended Lakewood High School, where he achi ...

. In 2019, he was 2-3 with one save and a 4.75 ERA. In 47.1 innings, he gave up 21 walks and had 45 strikeouts. He averaged 4.0 walks and 8.6 strikeouts per 9 innings. His strikeout/walks ratio was 2.14.

Texas Rangers

Nicasio signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers on January 18, 2020. Nicasio was selected to the active roster on August 14, 2020. In 2 appearances for the Rangers in 2020, Nicasio pitched to a horrific 40.50 ERA with only one strikeout, allowing 6 runs in 1.1 innings of work.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nicasio, Juan 1986 births Living people Águilas Cibaeñas players Asheville Tourists players Casper Rockies players Colorado Rockies players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Dominican Summer League Rockies players Los Angeles Dodgers players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Modesto Nuts players People from San Francisco de Macorís Philadelphia Phillies players Pittsburgh Pirates players Seattle Mariners players St. Louis Cardinals players Texas Rangers players Tri-City Dust Devils players Tulsa Drillers players