Coming out of Ole Miss as a talented, yet flawed starter, Cleveland Guardians prospect Doug Nikhazy had solid stuff but little to no control.
His walk rate was never lower than 15 percent in any of his minor league stops in 2022 and 2023, and that’s too high.
In 2024, the lefty took a gigantic step forward with his control and command, posting a 10.1 percent walk rate in Double-A and an 11.3 mark in Triple-A.
Now, the Guardians see a future major leaguer in him and have big hopes for the talented southpaw.
Since entering the organization, Nikhazy’s fastball velocity has increased a bit, and it allowed his excellent curveball and other secondaries to thrive.
He now sits in the low 90s and can flirt with the mid-90s on occasion.
Cleveland would love to see Nikhazy achieve one specific thing in 2025, and that’s why he is working hard in his game.
Lefty Doug Nikhazy throws bullpen session. pic.twitter.com/lPMvPmIhqt
— paul hoynes (@hoynsie) February 20, 2025
That would be improving his control and command a bit more: he has achieved a lot in that area, but his BB/9 (walks per nine innings) was 4.06 in Triple-A last year and he needs to keep that in check if he is going to succeed against major leaguers.
We have learned that the leap between Triple-A and the majors is the largest it has ever been.
Prospects need to trust their stuff and show excellent command to have a chance at sticking in an MLB staff.
Nikhazy has come a long way in the strike-throwing department, but he needs another step forward there: even a modest one could give him a nice career as a mid-rotation or backend starter, possibly as early as 2025.
The Guardians have faith in him: that’s why they protected him on their 40-man roster a few months ago.
He could be a sneaky contributor this year.
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