Season in review about nothing: Juan Nicasio, ‘The Ex-Girlfriend.’

Juan Nicasio

Right-handed hitters slashed .226/.298/.335 against Juan Nicasio in 2015. (Getty Images)

This is Part 34 of a series in which every member of the 2015 Dodgers has his season juxtaposed with an episode of the greatest sitcom of all-time. Don’t take it too seriously.

Juan Nicasio, RHP

Key stats: 1-3, one save, 3.86 ERA in 53 games (1 GS)

Seinfeld episode: “The Ex-Girlfriend” (Season 2, Episode 1)

Key quote: “He went from nods to nothing.”

The Dodgers signed Juan Nicasio with the intention of making him a relief pitcher, something he only did for the first time at the end of 2014 with the Colorado Rockies. With the Dodgers, other than a spot start in a bullpen game in Denver, Nicasio fully embraced his new role.

Sometimes, Nicasio had electric stuff. His fastball touched 99 mph; when his slider was 10 mph or more slower, it was unusually deceptive. By June 24, Nicasio had a 1.78 ERA, a .270 opponents’ slugging percentage, and 32 strikeouts in 30 ⅓ innings. Those are All-Star numbers, and Nicasio was the Dodgers’ seventh/eighth-inning guy at that point in the year.

The reason I cherry-picked June 24 is because Nicasio completely fell off after that date. The strikeouts were still there (33 in 28 innings), but he was hit much, much harder (.496 opponents’ slugging percentage). He was charged with a run in six of his final 12 regular-season appearances and was ultimately left off the Dodgers’ National League Division Series roster in favor of Joel Peralta.

Nicasio went from a solid middle reliever in April to a live BP pitcher in October. The Dodgers non-tendered Nicasio after the season and he signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates for $3 million, a slight raise on the $2.3 million he made in 2015.

In “The Ex-Girlfriend,” Elaine shares an anecdote about her neighbor, a character whose standing undergoes a similar trajectory:

 

This entry was posted in JP on the Dodgers and tagged , by J.P. Hoornstra. Bookmark the permalink.

About J.P. Hoornstra

J.P. Hoornstra covers the Dodgers, Angels and Major League Baseball for the Orange County Register, Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram, Torrance Daily Breeze, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Pasadena Star-News, San Bernardino Sun, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Whittier Daily News and Redlands Daily Facts. Before taking the beat in 2012, J.P. covered the NHL for four years. UCLA gave him a degree once upon a time; when he graduated on schedule, he missed getting Arnold Schwarzenegger's autograph on his diploma by five months.