Nikhazy making a strong bid to make Opening Day roster

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- With rotation candidates starting to get multiple appearances under their belts – third starts for some this coming week -- lots of names are in the mix until Shane Bieber returns this summer.

Among the young pitchers with something to prove is Doug Nikhazy.

The 25-year-old lefty who was Cleveland's No. 25 prospect in 2024 is making a bid to secure an Opening Day roster spot after a phenomenal run in Triple-A in 2024. The former second-round Draft pick went 7-3 with a 2.87 ERA in 14 games (13 starts) with Columbus, yielding 51 hits in 75-plus innings.

In two relief appearances this spring, he’s thrown four hitless innings with one walk and four strikeouts. Although he hasn’t appeared in the Majors yet, he’s close to those Opening Day roster conversations.

“It’s extremely close for him,” pitching coach Carl Willis said Sunday. “I would say in my mind it’s not that far convoluted that he could be a bullpen option for us coming out of camp.”

Nikhazy had a small taste of the big leagues last fall.

With a week between the end of the regular season and the ALDS, Nikhazy and righty Nic Enright were invited to Progressive Field to keep the batters sharp during the layoff. The stadium was empty, but speakers pumped in loud crowd noise to create atmosphere.

The instructions were simple: Don’t throw inside, but definitely bring your best stuff.

“It was super cool,” Nikhazy recalled. “Great experience.”

While the hitters were the ones in playoff mode, the young pitchers were the ones turning heads.

“These guys treated it like a game and they went out and pitched like it was a game,” Willis said. “It was eye-catching, both the velocity, the control and command and the ability to throw multiple pitches.”

Nikhazy’s walk ratio was a concern early in his pro career with a WHIP as high as 2.68 in Double-A in 2022. He retooled his delivery to throw less from over the top and more from a lower arm slot. Suddenly, his pitches were finding the zone and hitters were more apt to swing.

Between Double-A and Triple-A, his WHIP dipped to 1.09 in '24 and hitters were batting .192 off him. He even threw a shutout in Triple-A in June.

No Guardians pitchers threw a shutout in 2024, or even a complete game for that matter.

“I just holistically found a way to decrease the walk rate. Obviously, throwing the ball in zone more, but also throwing balls in better positions that guys are gonna swing,” Nikhazy said. “It made a huge difference.”

While a starting role in the Majors may not be the first option for Nikhazy, the Guardians have no shortage of options.

One of the newest arms in Cleveland, righty Slade Cecconi, struggled in his first Spring starting opportunity Sunday in Cleveland's 12-12 tie with Milwaukee at Goodyear Ballpark.

Arriving via the December trade with the D-backs for first baseman Josh Naylor, Cecconi enjoyed a perfect first inning on just 11 pitches. Location was a problem after that.

“Command was not there. I went away, away, away to all those righties and let them lean out over the plate and catch some pitches out front,” said Cecconi, who allowed seven runs (six earned) on six hits in 1 2/3 innings. “I didn’t have my best stuff.”

The former first-round Draft pick with Arizona brings an upper-90s fastball with quality secondary pitches, and in his first spring outing on Feb. 24, he debuted a sinker and cutter. He came into camp competing for a rotation spot or a spot in the bullpen.

Tanner Bibee is a lock for the rotation come Opening Day. Gavin Williams, Ben Lively and Kolby Allard are contenders, followed by young starters Triston McKenzie, Logan Allen, Luis Ortiz and Joey Cantillo.