To this point, Cleveland Guardians pitching prospect Doug Nikhazy had pitched so well in Cactus League play that he was actually one of the leading contenders for a rotation spot.
On Tuesday, however, he faced adversity for the first time this spring.
The results, unfortunately, weren’t satisfying as he had easily his worst game in recent memory.
Of course, facing the tough Los Angeles Dodgers, arguably the best offense in baseball, is no easy task.
The lefty ended up conceding a whopping seven runs in just 1.2 frames.
“Cleveland #Guardians LHP prospect Doug Nikhazy with a tough outing today vs the Dodgers. Final line: 1.2(IP) 4H 7R 7ER 4BB 2SO (55 Pitches 30 Strikes),” Guardians Prospective wrote on X.
Cleveland #Guardians LHP prospect Doug Nikhazy with a tough outing today vs the Dodgers.
Final line:
– 1.2(IP) 4H 7R 7ER 4BB 2SO
(55 Pitches 30 Strikes)
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) March 11, 2025
First, the good: Nikhazy is now stretched out to 55 pitches and should be close to 80-90 in a couple of turns.
He also got to face MVP winners, Silver Sluggers, and top hitters all afternoon.
That’s always a good learning experience.
The bad, well, jumps to the eye.
Seven runs in less than two innings paints a horrible picture of what his outing was.
He was facing a lineup comprised of Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, Teoscar Hernandez, Max Muncy, and other excellent batters.
It just wasn’t his day, and it’s perfectly normal for a young, inexperienced hurler to struggle against such a talented unit.
The outing takes Nikhazy’s spring ERA from 0.00 to 7.27, just like that.
It’s exactly why we can’t really trust spring training stats.
Contrary to popular belief, Nikhazy might still be in contention for an Opening Day roster spot.
It could be as a starter or as a reliever, but his talented left arm is better than what he showed this afternoon.
NEXT: Guardians Trim Spring Roster To 52 Players
