Jonah Nickerson
| IP | 475 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 4.509 |
| WHIP | 1.364 |
| BB/9 | 2.444 |
| SO/9 | 6.006 |
- Full name Jonah S. Nickerson
- Born 03/09/1985 in Casper, WY
- Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 200 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Oregon State
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Drafted in the 7th round (202nd overall) by the Detroit Tigers in 2006 (signed for $150,000).
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Nickerson has four fringe-average pitchess: fastball, cutter, curveball and changeup. He has control of his entire arsenal, though his walk rate was up and he'd been more hittable in 2006 than he was as a sophomore. Nickerson pitches smart and has a plan, which should at least get him through A-ball. His positive exposure with Team USA last summer should get him off the board in the first 10 rounds.
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It took about one calendar year, but it seems Nickerson has finally recovered from his 323-pitch marathon at the 2006 College World Series, where he was the most outstanding player after leading Oregon State to the national championship. He returned to form near the middle of his first full season as a pro, and his ERA dropped from 5.80 before the all-star break to 2.95 thereafter. His overhand curveball had been slow and loopy during the first half, but it became sharper down the stretch. He battled back stiffness at times but was a vital part of West Michigan's championship run. Nickerson showed plus command with his fastball and spotted it at the knees and on the corners at 89-90 mph. Terrific control enabled Nickerson to be efficient with his pitches, and he finished as the team leader with 151 innings. When he misses with a pitch, he tends to do so down in the strike zone, which limits home runs and big innings. Great makeup and sound mechanics should aid his development, but Nickerson is a back-of-the-rotation starter at best as he lacks a true plus pitch. He'll move up to high Class A this year. -
Nickerson threw 323 pitches in an eight-day span during the College World Series, earning Most Outstanding Player honors as Oregon State defeated Andrew Miller's North Carolina team for the national title. After the Beavers lost their CWS opener, Nickerson beat Georgia while allowing two runs in seven innings and then put them in the final round by defeating Rice with 7 2/3 shutout innings on two days' rest. In the CWS finale, he got a nodecision after allowing just two unearned runs in 6 2/3 frames. Because of that workload and the 137 innings he totaled in the spring, the Tigers kept a close watch on his workload after signing him for $150,000 as a seventh-round pick. Nickerson's competitive makeup and his command overshadow his pure stuff. At his best, he has an 89-91 mph sinker, though he pitched in the mid-80s toward the end of his college season and in his pro debut. His curveball is his No. 2 pitch, and he also throws a cutter and changeup. He knows how to set up hitters and refuses to give in to them. Nickerson likely will reach high Class A at some point in his first pro season.
