Kyle Todd Nicolas (born February 22, 1999) is an American

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 ...

for the

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 ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2023.

Amateur career

Nicolas grew up in

Massillon, Ohio Massillon is a city in Stark County, Ohio, Stark County in the U.S. state of Ohio, approximately west of Canton, Ohio, Canton, south of Akron, and south of Cleveland. The population was 32,146 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Mass ...

and attended Jackson High School, where he played baseball and basketball. He won state titles in both sports as a senior and was named the Federal League Co-Player of the Year in baseball after going 8–0 with a save and a 0.50 ERA on the mound while also batting .349 with 24 RBIs. Nicolas played for the

Ball State Cardinals The Ball State Cardinals are the athletic teams that represent Ball State University, located in Muncie, Indiana. The Cardinals are part of the NCAA Division I Mid-American Conference. Charlie Cardinal is the team mascot. The Ball State Uni ...

for three seasons. In 2019, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

with the

Cotuit Kettleers The Cotuit Kettleers are a collegiate summer baseball team based in the village of Cotuit, Massachusetts, which is in the southwest corner of the town of Barnstable. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the lea ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...

. As a junior, Nicolas went 0–1 with a 2.74 ERA in four starts before the season was cut short due to the

coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

Professional career

Nicolas was selected 61st overall by the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

in the 2020 Major League Baseball draft. After not playing in the minor leagues in 2020 following the cancelation of the season due to Covid-19, he began the 2021 season with the

High-A High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

Beloit Snappers The Beloit Sky Carp are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Beloit, Wisconsin, and play their home games at ABC Supply Stadium. They previously played at Harry C ...

. Nicolas was promoted to the Double-A

Pensacola Blue Wahoos The Pensacola Blue Wahoos are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are based in Pensacola, Florida, and play their home games at Admiral Fetterman Field. In 2012, the team rel ...

after posting 3–2 record with a 5.28 ERA and 86 strikeouts in innings with Beloit. On November 29, 2021, Nicolas was traded along with Zach Thompson and

Connor Scott Connor Bryant Scott (born October 8, 1999) is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. Amateur career Scott attended Henry B. Plant High School in Tampa, Florida, where he played four years of varsit ...

to the

in exchange for

Jacob Stallings Jacob Daniel Stallings (born December 22, 1989) is an American professional baseball catcher for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2016. In 2021, Stallings won the Gold Glove ...

. In 2023, Nicolas made 35 appearances (18 starts) split between the Double–A

Altoona Curve The Altoona Curve are a Minor League Baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve (but also alluding to the curveball, a type of pitch). The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of the ...

and Triple–A

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory Field, which open ...

, registering a cumulative 4–7 record and 5.20 ERA with 127 strikeouts and 2 saves in innings pitched. On September 19, 2023, Nicolas had his contract selected to the

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, and ...

and promoted to the major leagues for the first time.

Personal life

Nicolas is the nephew of former Penn State and NFL quarterback

Todd Blackledge Todd Alan Blackledge (born February 25, 1961) is a former American football quarterback in both the NCAA and National Football League. In college, he led the Penn State Nittany Lions to a national championship. A member of the famed Class of 19 ...

References

External links

Ball State Cardinals bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicolas, Kyle 1999 births Living people Altoona Curve players Ball State Cardinals baseball players Baseball players from Ohio Beloit Snappers players Cotuit Kettleers players Indianapolis Indians players Major League Baseball pitchers Pensacola Blue Wahoos players Pittsburgh Pirates players Sportspeople from Massillon, Ohio