Future Watch: Mike Nikorak Baseball Rookie Cards, Rockies – The Rockies have a strong prospect pipeline. Mike Nikorak is the latest. He was a first round pick in the 2015 MLB Draft as the 27th overall selection by the Colorado Rockies. When you think about pitching, the last place in major league baseball you would talk about would be Colorado. But like any other team, the Rockies must draft pitchers and it’s been shown if they get the right kind, they can blossom in Coors Field. The right-hander is hoping to be that guy.
The 18-year-old struggled in Pioneer League baseball. His age was a big reason for that. He did manage 14 strikeouts in 18 innings, that was the lone bright spot in this learning experience.
The Pennsylvania prospect now understands the difference between high school baseball and professional baseball. At 6′-5″ he’s got all the makings of a big league pitcher.
In 2014 he was clocked throwing 97 miles per hour. That pretty much ended any football career he may have had. As one of the top 100 prospects in the game, he’s living under a microscope, so this season will be very important for him to show some progress.
Mike Nikorak’s first MLB licensed autographed baseball card debuted with the release of 2015 Bowman Draft Baseball, card number BCA-MW.
According to his MLB.com draft profile:
Nikorak started raising his profile with his performance at the Perfect Game National Showcase at the beginning of the summer before his senior season. When the eastern Pennsylvania native came out this spring once it thawed in the Northeast with the same 94-97 mph fastball he showed the previous summer, he cemented himself as a first-rounder. Though he struggled a bit with command and lost a tick or two as the spring wore on, he was still effective with his fastball thanks to plenty of run and sink. ETA 2019.
Here’s what he looked like on a windy day last season:
If his fastball sinks, so will the hearts of the opposition.
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