Dunlap: Nicasio Merits Your Attention
Jeff Locke better pay attention.
Same with Ryan Vogelsong.
If they aren't careful, one of those gentlemen could lose their spot in the Pirates' starting rotation.
I'll go a step farther. If things keep going like this, one of those men should lose their spot in the Pirates' rotation.
For the most part, Spring Training numbers don't mean much --- you can crumple them up on the paper they are written on and do away with them.
But in the case of right-handed pitcher Juan Nicasio, they just might win him a spot in the Pirates' rotation. You see, Nicasio has burned up the spring to this point, with his latest display a 10-strikeout, four-inning performance wherein he yielded just a lone hit on Wednesday afternoon against the Orioles.
And he didn't do it against some down-the-liners or a majority of guys destined to play their home games this season in Bowie or Norfolk, either.
No, he did it against real deal major leaguers.
He was better than Manny Machado and Pedro Alvarez, than Adam Jones and Chris Davis; he dominated Mark Trumbo.
I don't care if that happens in the middle of the pennant chase or on some diamond in the middle of Sarasota in the middle of March, when a pitcher has an outing like that, you have to take notice.
And it fell right in line with Nicasio's form this spring, as he has controlled everything he's touched as the Pirates attempt to stretch him out some from his predicted spot as a man who would pitch long relief to now, well, who knows what?
All I know is Locke and Vogelsong better be paying attention. And they better step up their performances.
If not, it seems Vogelsong would be the safest of the two, as he could be a guy who might fit easily into what the projected role for Nicasio was --- that long-relief guy who gets a call in a spot start situation or here and there throughout the season.
But Locke would appear to be in some jeopardy tied directly to this overwhelming success Nicasio has been having, provided Nicasio keeps it up at this pace. There doesn't seem to be much call for Locke in the bullpen, as he doesn't throw the volume of strikes one would like, nor does he pitch with the urgency needed to fit such a role.
Again, if I'm Jeff Locke right now, I'm making damn sure to focus one million percent on the Spring Training starts that I have remaining as everyone can't help but notice how strongly Nicasio is pushing him.
When this season starts, the Pirates --- because they frittered so many early-season games away the last few seasons --- can't be worried about making people happy or egos or what's going to happen down the road if they put someone on waivers or ultimately demote them.
Instead, the Pirates need to put winning --- and immediately winning right out of the box in April --- as their top priority.
That said, they need to bring the best 25 guys north and, by extension, have the best five guys at that time in the rotation.
If Nicasio is one of them, he needs to be in that rotation --- and you can worry about the fallout later.
Colin Dunlap is a featured columnist at CBSPittsburgh.com. He can also be heard weekdays from 5:40 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Sports Radio 93-7 "The Fan." You can e-mail him at colin.dunlap@cbsradio.com. Check out his bio here.