Justin Brian Nicolino (born November 22, 1991) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for 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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...

, and in the

Chinese Professional Baseball League The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL; ) is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan. The league was established in 1989 and played the first season in 1990. CPBL eventually absorbed the competing Taiwan Major League in 20 ...

(CPBL) for the

Rakuten Monkeys The Rakuten Monkeys (), formerly known as La New Bears (2004–2010) and Lamigo Monkeys (2011–2019), are a professional baseball team in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) in Taiwan. Owned and administered by the Japanese technol ...

Early life and education

Nicolino attended University High School in

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

. Playing for the school's baseball team, he had a 4–2 win–loss record and a 1.95

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) with 74

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

s in 44

innings pitched In baseball, the statistic innings pitched (IP) is the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of Batter (baseball), batters and baserunners that have been put out while the pitcher is on the Baseball field#Pitcher's mou ...

in his senior year. He committed to attend the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

on a

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

scholarship. Projected as a third or fourth round pick in the

2010 Major League Baseball Draft The 2010 Major League Baseball draft was held on June 7–9, 2010 at the MLB Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. First-round selections The draft order was determined based on the 2009 MLB standings, with the worst team picking first. ;Key ...

, Nicolino expected to honor the commitment. The

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

selected Nicolino in the second round of the

2010 Major League Baseball draft The 2010 Major League Baseball draft was held on June 7–9, 2010 at the MLB Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. First-round selections The draft order was determined based on the 2009 MLB standings, with the worst team picking first. ;Key ...

, with the 80th overall selection. He signed with the Blue Jays for a reported $615,000

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 ...

, rather than enroll at the University of Virginia.

Professional career

Toronto Blue Jays

Nicolino made his professional debut for the

Vancouver Canadians The Vancouver Canadians are a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team located in Vancouver, British Columbia. They are members of the Northwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. The Canadians play their home games at Nat Bail ...

of the Low–A

Northwest League The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Northwestern United States and Western Canada. A Class A Short Season league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseba ...

in 2011, posting a 5–1 win–loss record and a 1.03 ERA. The Blue Jays promoted him to the

Lansing Lugnuts The Lansing Lugnuts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Athletics (baseball), Athletics. They are located in Lansing, Michigan, and play their home games at Jackson Field (Lansing), Jackson Fie ...

of the Single–A

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

late in the season, and he pitched to a 1–1 record and a 3.12 ERA in three starts for Lansing. Nicolino returned to Lansing for the 2012 season. He had a 10–4 win–loss record with a Midwest League-best 2.46 ERA and 119 strikeouts in innings pitched. His teammates voted him as the Lugnuts'

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

, and he was named to the Midwest League Postseason All-Star team.

Miami Marlins

On November 19, 2012, the Blue Jays traded Nicolino, Adeiny Hechavarria, Henderson Álvarez, Yunel Escobar, Jeff Mathis, Anthony DeSclafani, and Jake Marisnick to the

in exchange for Mark Buehrle, Josh Johnson, José Reyes, John Buck, and Emilio Bonifacio. On January 29, 2013, Nicolino was named number 72 on MLB's Top 100 Prospects list. He began the 2013 season with the

Jupiter Hammerheads The Jupiter Hammerheads are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in the town of Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida, and play their home games at Roger Dean ...

of the High–A

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

(FSL). After pitching to a 5–2 record with a 2.23 ERA, and being named a FSL All-Star, he received a promotion to the

Jacksonville Suns The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are located in Jacksonville, Florida, and are named for shrimp caught in the area. The team pla ...

of the Double–A Southern League in July. Pitching for Jacksonville in 2014, Nicolino had a went 14–4 with a 2.85 ERA in 28 starts, and was named the Marlins' Minor League Pitcher of the Year. On November 20, 2014, the Marlins added Nicolino to their

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, an ...

to protect him from the

Rule 5 draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

. Nicolino began the 2015 season with the

New Orleans Zephyrs New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz (South Korean band), The Boyz * New (album), ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** New (Paul McCartney song), "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * New (EP), ''New'' (EP), ...

of the Triple–A

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

. The Marlins called up Nicolino for his first major league start on June 20, 2015, taking the rotation spot of Tom Koehler. He pitched 7 shutout innings, giving up 4 hits and 2 walks, with 2 strikeouts. He was optioned back to Triple–A on June 30. He finished the season 5–4 with a 4.01 ERA in 12 starts for the Marlins. He struck out 23 in 74 innings. In 2016, Nicolino pitched in 5 games out of the bullpen, while starting 13 for the Marlins. He finished with a 3–6 record and a 4.99 ERA on the season.Justin Nicolino Minor Leagues Statistics & History , Baseball-Reference.com
/ref> In 2017, Nicolino was placed on the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 Major League Baseball season, 2019 season, it was known as the disabl ...

on May 30 with a

contusion A bruise, also known as a contusion, is a type of hematoma of tissue, the most common cause being capillaries damaged by trauma, causing localized bleeding that extravasates into the surrounding interstitial tissues. Most bruises occur clo ...

on his left index finger. Nicolino pitched in 12 games out of the bullpen, while starting 8 for the Marlins. He finished with a 2–3 record and a 5.06 ERA on the 2017 season. In his career with the Marlins, Nicolino, was 10–13 with a 4.65 ERA in 50 games, including 33 starts, and in spring training in 2018 with the Marlins he had a 5.23 ERA in five games.

Cincinnati Reds

On March 25, 2018, Nicolino was claimed off waivers by the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

. Two days later, he was removed from the 40-man roster and sent outright to the Triple-A

Louisville Bats The Louisville Bats are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Louisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to the bat, wi ...

. In 25 games (24 starts) for Louisville, Nicolino compiled a 6–6 record and 4.69 ERA with 86 strikeouts across innings of work. He elected free agency following the season on November 2.

Minnesota Twins

On February 6, 2019, Nicolino signed a minor league contract with the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

that included an invitation to

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

. He opened the season with the Triple–A

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Fie ...

, posting a 5.12 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 4 games (3 starts). Nicolino was released by the organization on May 1.

Chicago White Sox

On May 4, 2019, Nicolino signed a minor league contract with the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

. In 20 games (19 starts) for the Triple–A

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field ...

, he posted a 7–6 record and 6.28 ERA with 84 strikeouts across 116 innings of work. Nicolino elected free agency following the season on November 4.

Rakuten Monkeys

On February 13, 2020, Nicolino signed with the

of the

. In 8 games for Rakuten, he recorded a 5.90 ERA with 39 strikeouts across innings pitched. On September 9, Nicolino was released by the Monkeys.

High Point Rockers

On April 21, 2022, Nicolino signed with the High Point Rockers. In 6 starts, he posted a 4–1 record with a 2.06 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 35 innings.

Cincinnati Reds (second stint)

On May 25, 2022, Nicolino's contract was purchased by the

and he was assigned to the Triple–A

. In 20 games (18 starts) for Louisville, Nicolino posted a 4–6 record and 5.82 ERA with 54 strikeouts in 85 innings pitched. He elected free agency following the season on November 10.

Generales de Durango

On May 1, 2023, Nicolino signed with the Generales de Durango of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. In 6 starts, he posted a 2–1 record with a 6.65 ERA and 18 strikeouts over innings. Nicolino was released by Durango on June 8.

High Point Rockers (second stint)

On June 24, 2023, Nicolino signed with the High Point Rockers of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are l ...

. In 9 starts for the Rockers, he logged a 4–1 record and 4.56 ERA with 34 strikeouts across innings pitched. In January 2024, Nicolino retired from professional baseball and became a performance coach at Tread Athletics.

Scouting report

Nicolino is a contact pitcher, pitching in the high 80s to low 90s with his fastball. He also throws a

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball, but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced spee ...

and a

curveball In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curve ...

.2015 Miami Marlins Camp Prospect Profile: Justin Nicolino - Fish Stripes
/ref> Since 2014, Nicolino has averaged 4.8 strikeouts per 9 innings in the minors, while with the Marlins since 2015, he's average 3.7 strikeouts per 9 innings.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nicolino, Justin 1991 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada American expatriate baseball players in Mexico American expatriate baseball players in Taiwan Baseball players from Orlando, Florida Charlotte Knights players Generales de Durango players High Point Rockers players Jacksonville Suns players Jupiter Hammerheads players Lansing Lugnuts players Louisville Bats players Major League Baseball pitchers Miami Marlins players New Orleans Baby Cakes players New Orleans Zephyrs players Rakuten Monkeys players Rochester Red Wings players Vancouver Canadians players University High School (Orlando, Florida) alumni Águilas Cibaeñas players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic