1. Early Life and High School Career
Nicolino was born on November 22, 1991, in Orlando, Florida. He attended University High School in Orlando, where he played for the school's baseball team. During his senior year, he achieved a 4-2 win-loss record and a 1.95 earned run average (ERA), recording 74 strikeouts in 44 innings pitched.
He initially committed to attend the University of Virginia on a college baseball scholarship. Although projected as a third or fourth round pick in the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft, Nicolino expected to honor his commitment. However, the Toronto Blue Jays selected him in the second round of the 2010 MLB Draft, as the 80th overall selection. He subsequently signed with the Blue Jays for a reported 615.00 K USD signing bonus, choosing to begin his professional career rather than enroll at the university.
2. Professional Career
Justin Nicolino embarked on a professional baseball journey that spanned several organizations in Major League Baseball's minor league systems, an independent league, and an international league, marking a career characterized by consistent performance and adaptability across different competitive environments.
2.1. Toronto Blue Jays Organization
Nicolino made his professional debut in 2011 with the Vancouver Canadians of the Low-A Northwest League, where he posted a 5-1 win-loss record and a 1.03 ERA. Later in the season, the Blue Jays promoted him to the Lansing Lugnuts of the Single-A Midwest League, where he pitched to a 1-1 record with a 3.12 ERA in three starts. Across both teams in 2011, he recorded a combined 6 wins and 2 losses with a 1.33 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 15 games, including 12 starts.
He returned to Lansing for the entire 2012 season. During this year, he compiled an impressive 10-4 win-loss record with a Midwest League-best 2.46 ERA and 119 strikeouts over 124 and one-third innings pitched in 28 games (22 starts). His teammates recognized his contributions by voting him the Lugnuts' Most Valuable Player, and he was also named to the Midwest League Postseason All-Star team.
2.2. Miami Marlins
On November 19, 2012, Nicolino was part of a major 11-player trade between the Blue Jays and the Miami Marlins. He, along with Adeiny Hechavarria, Henderson Álvarez, Yunel Escobar, Jeff Mathis, Anthony DeSclafani, and Jake Marisnick, was sent to the Marlins. In return, the Blue Jays received Mark Buehrle, Josh Johnson, José Reyes, John Buck, and Emilio Bonifacio. Following this trade, on January 29, 2013, MLB recognized Nicolino's potential by naming him number 72 on their Top 100 Prospects list.
He started the 2013 season with the Jupiter Hammerheads of the High-A Florida State League (FSL). After achieving a 5-2 record with a 2.23 ERA and being named an FSL All-Star, he earned a promotion to the Jacksonville Suns of the Double-A Southern League in July. Overall in 2013, he started 27 games across both levels, recording 8 wins, 4 losses, a 3.11 ERA, and 95 strikeouts.
In 2014, while pitching for the Jacksonville Suns, Nicolino had an outstanding season, finishing with a 14-4 record and a 2.85 ERA in 28 starts. He led the Southern League in both wins and ERA, and was subsequently named the Marlins' Minor League Pitcher of the Year. On November 20, 2014, the Marlins added him to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.
Nicolino began the 2015 season with the New Orleans Zephyrs of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. On June 20, 2015, the Marlins called him up to make his first major league start, taking the rotation spot of Tom Koehler. He made his MLB debut against the Cincinnati Reds, famously pitching against his former teammate and friend, Anthony DeSclafani. Nicolino pitched 7 shutout innings, allowing 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 2 batters, earning his first major league win. He was optioned back to Triple-A on June 30 but rejoined the Marlins' starting rotation in August. He concluded the 2015 MLB season with a 5-4 record and a 4.01 ERA in 12 starts, striking out 23 batters in 74 innings.
In 2016, Nicolino made 18 appearances for the Marlins, including 13 starts, finishing the season with a 3-6 record, a 4.99 ERA, and a 1.46 WHIP. In 2017, he was placed on the disabled list on May 30 due to a contusion on his left index finger. He pitched in 20 games that season, with 8 starts, accumulating a 2-3 record and a 5.06 ERA with 26 strikeouts.
Throughout his career with the Marlins, Nicolino held a 10-13 record with a 4.65 ERA over 50 games, including 33 starts. During spring training in 2018, he registered a 5.23 ERA in five appearances for the Marlins.
2.3. Cincinnati Reds Organization (First Stint)
On March 25, 2018, the Cincinnati Reds claimed Nicolino off waivers. Just two days later, he was removed from the 40-man roster and sent outright to the Triple-A Louisville Bats. While with Louisville, Nicolino appeared in 25 games (24 starts), compiling a 6-6 record with a 4.69 ERA and 86 strikeouts across 134 and one-third innings of work. He elected free agency following the season on November 2, 2018.
2.4. Minnesota Twins Organization
On February 6, 2019, Nicolino signed a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins, which included an invitation to spring training. He began the 2019 season with the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings, where he posted a 5.12 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 4 games (3 starts). Nicolino was released by the Twins organization on May 1, 2019.
2.5. Chicago White Sox Organization
Following his release from the Twins, Nicolino signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox on May 4, 2019. He spent the season with the Triple-A Charlotte Knights, appearing in 20 games (19 starts). He recorded a 7-6 record with a 6.28 ERA and 84 strikeouts over 116 innings pitched. Nicolino elected free agency on November 4, 2019, after the season concluded.
2.6. Rakuten Monkeys (CPBL)
On February 13, 2020, Nicolino ventured internationally, signing with the Rakuten Monkeys of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). He made his CPBL debut on April 28, 2020, against the Fubon Guardians, where he delivered 8 shutout innings to earn his first win in Taiwan. In total, he appeared in 8 games for Rakuten (7 starts), recording a 1-3 record with a 5.90 ERA and 39 strikeouts across 39 and two-thirds innings pitched. The Monkeys released Nicolino on September 9, 2020. He was unaffiliated with any team in 2021.
2.7. High Point Rockers (First Stint)
On April 21, 2022, Nicolino signed with the High Point Rockers, an independent league team in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. In his first stint with the Rockers, he made 6 starts, achieving a 4-1 record with an impressive 2.06 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 35 innings.
2.8. Cincinnati Reds Organization (Second Stint)
Due to his strong performance in the independent league, Nicolino's contract was purchased by the Cincinnati Reds on May 25, 2022, marking his second stint with the organization. He was assigned to the Triple-A Louisville Bats. In 20 games (18 starts) for Louisville, Nicolino posted a 4-6 record and a 5.82 ERA, with 54 strikeouts in 85 innings pitched. He elected free agency again following the season on November 10, 2022.
2.9. Generales de Durango
On May 1, 2023, Nicolino signed with the Generales de Durango of the Mexican League. During his time with the team, he made 6 starts, posting a 2-1 record with a 6.65 ERA and 18 strikeouts over 21 and two-thirds innings. Nicolino was released by Durango on June 8, 2023.
2.10. High Point Rockers (Second Stint)
On June 24, 2023, Nicolino returned to the High Point Rockers of the Atlantic League for his second stint with the team. In 9 starts for the Rockers, he logged a 4-1 record and a 4.56 ERA, tallying 34 strikeouts across 47 and one-third innings pitched.
3. Post-Playing Career
In January 2024, Justin Nicolino announced his retirement from professional baseball. Following his playing career, he transitioned into a new profession, becoming a performance coach at Tread Athletics, a baseball training facility.
4. Playing Style and Evaluation
Justin Nicolino was characterized as a contact pitcher, focusing on strategic pitching to prevent batters from making optimal contact rather than overpowering them with velocity. His fastball typically ranged in the high 80s to low 90s miles per hour. In addition to his fastball, he also utilized a changeup and a curveball in his repertoire.
A notable characteristic of Nicolino's pitching style was his extremely low strikeout rate. For instance, in 2015, his strikeout rate of 2.80 strikeouts per 9 innings was the lowest among all National League starting pitchers who had thrown more than 60 innings. Since 2014, he averaged 4.8 strikeouts per 9 innings in the minor leagues, while with the Marlins since 2015, his average was 3.7 strikeouts per 9 innings. This highlights his approach of inducing weak contact and relying on his defense rather than generating a high volume of strikeouts.
5. Career Statistics
Nicolino's professional career included stints in Major League Baseball, the Chinese Professional Baseball League, and various minor and independent leagues.
5.1. Overall Statistics
| Year | Team | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | W | L | PCT | BFP | IP | H | HR | BB | SO | WP | BK | R | ER | ERA | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | MIA | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | .556 | 301 | 74.0 | 72 | 8 | 20 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 33 | 33 | 4.01 | 1.24 |
| 2016 | MIA | 18 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | .333 | 346 | 79.1 | 96 | 8 | 20 | 37 | 1 | 3 | 45 | 44 | 4.99 | 1.46 |
| 2017 | MIA | 20 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | .400 | 229 | 48.0 | 66 | 8 | 20 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 27 | 5.06 | 1.79 |
| 2020 | Rakuten | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .250 | 182 | 39.2 | 50 | 5 | 11 | 39 | 3 | 0 | 30 | 26 | 5.90 | 1.54 |
| MLB Total (3 years) | 50 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 13 | .435 | 876 | 201.1 | 234 | 24 | 60 | 86 | 3 | 0 | 111 | 104 | 4.65 | 1.46 | |
| CPBL Total (1 year) | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .250 | 182 | 39.2 | 50 | 5 | 11 | 39 | 3 | 0 | 30 | 26 | 5.90 | 1.54 | |
5.2. Uniform Numbers
Throughout his professional career, Justin Nicolino wore several uniform numbers for his respective teams:
- 60 (2015, Miami Marlins)
- 20 (2016-2017, Miami Marlins)
- 54 (2020, Rakuten Monkeys)