With September call ups getting ready to start, one of the more intriguing prospects not only for the Pirates, but all of MLB is pitcher Nick Kingham. Kingham has been rated among the top 100 prospects by Baseball America and is consistently ranked among the very best of the Pirates prospects, certainly worthy of note considering so much emerging talent such as Jameson Taillon, Austin Meadows, Tyler Glasnow, Reese McGuire, and Alen Hansen, among others in the Pirates system.
After starting this year with AA Altoona, Kingham has been playing for AAA Indianapolis since mid June. Kingham has posted a 5-4 record with a 3.58 ERA, along with 65 strikeouts in 88 innings. With a 2014 workload of 159 innings pitched between Altoona and Indy, it’s unlikely Kingham will be among those getting the chance to make a late season impact when call ups are announced.
Regardless, it’s clear that not only does Kingham have a bright future as a starter for the Pirates, the opportunity to make the rotation will likely happen this upcoming Spring. Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to sit down with Kingham and spend some time talking about his experience working his way through the system, his thoughts about his progression, and what he looks forward to as he continues his journey to be a major part of the Pirates future.
Gar Bercury — In your fourth year in the minors, you have been promoted quickly through the system all the way to AAA Indianapolis this year. Can you speak to some of the differences you have noticed along the way, especially the jump from AA Altoona to Indy?
Nick Kingham — “The differences are significant, the parks are different; they are bigger and the fans are louder, travel is definitely better. The talent is a lot better, you really do have to raise your level and it is a lot more of a chess game on the mound between pitcher and hitter. It’s the same game but there’s a difference that’s significant.”
GB — The Pirates are well known for asking their young pitchers to focus on working on their secondary pitches as the work their way through the system. They stress working on perceived “weaknesses”, regardless of the numbers or results on the field. Was that a tough thing to adjust to, when maybe you could rely on “go-to” pitches, especially early on?
NK — “There are parts of it like that, there are times when they are going to push you to your limits and make you feel uncomfortable. They will try to get you to not rely solely on your “safety pitch” like my curveball. We go into games with a plan, and try to stick to that plan, if we are working on a fastball extension side and try to execute that pitch even you might want to throw an alternate pitch…This helps you be comfortable for any situation.”
GB — Along the same lines, I read recently that you have really worked hard on developing your curve ball and change up, and that the change up has actually become a a favorite pitch in your repertoire. Can you speak to how the improvement and consistency with those pitches has helped you as you have matured as a pitcher?
NK — “The biggest thing about getting comfortable with a pitch is just throwing it…You really get a good feel for what the pitch is going to do and that gives you confidence. The past couple years thats what i’ve done, and its worked well, and it only benefits you from there.”
GB — Anyone who has a Twitter account who is a Pirates fan knows to follow Tony Sanchez. We know he’s never afraid to chat it up, but beyond that off the field stuff, what’s it like to have him as a teammate and battery mate?
NK — “Tony is awesome. Tony is a great clubhouse guy, keeps it loose, but he’s never afraid to get into a guy if that’s what’s needed. He’s a leader in the clubhouse, and he’s been up and down with Pittsburgh so he knows what it takes to be in the big leagues. He’s been a great mentor, he knows how to act…He’s been a huge asset to this team.”
GB — What’s it like being the minors from day to day? Must be a lot of down time with travel, that gives you a lot of time to build relationships and comraderie with your teammates i’d think?
NK — “The travel definitely catches up with you, the higher the levels you go, the better the travel gets. In the sense of how you travel, AA is a lot of trips on busses but it gets better as you go. The relationships you build are second to none, you’re with these guys every day, you see them more than you see your family so it’s really important to build relationships and be comfortable with the guys you play with. They are like brothers, and it’s important to build those bonds.”
GB — I’ve heard a ton of great things about Indians manager Dean Trainor and of course, pitching coach Tom Filer. What kind of impact have they had on you since you came to Indy?
NK — “They’ve both been huge, (Filer) has had a lot of guys go through to the big leagues, he knows what it takes, he’s worked with Gerrit (Cole) and Locke recently and they have established themselves at that level. Dean Trainor is the same way, he knows what it takes to get to the big leagues and he’s awesome to play for. You don’t want to win for anybody but him so you play hard every game and show respect, it’s a lot of fun to play for a guy like that.”
GB — You went on a terrific run early on in Indy, 5-1 start and continued progress from your time in AA. Then, like a lot of pitchers making the jump, you had some growing pains for a few starts. Mentally, how did you approach some of those bumps in the road?
NK — “You gotta stick to your guns and learn from your mistakes. Nobody is going to go out and throw shutouts every game, so take it for what it is, learn from it, don’t dwell on it and don’t let it happen again.”
GB — I know the focus is on your experience and work in Indy right now, but you know there has been plenty of talk about when you might be promoted to the majors. Do you catch yourself thinking about a possible promotion, or are you able to keep those thoughts at bay?
NK — “It crosses my mind, sure, it crosses everyone’s mind, but there is nothing I can do but perform on the field. I can’t perform the duties of GM, he’s going to do what’s best for the organization and i’m going to do my best for the team here in Indy.”
GB — Regardless of what happens in 2014, it seems clear that you will be a part of Spring Training next season, and you might have a chance to compete for a rotation spot. Is that a goal you have set in your mind?
NK — “It’s definitely a goal, and something I am going to work towards this offseason but at the same time it’s something you can’t worry about what happens, i’m just going to try my best and try to make their decision as hard as possible.”
GB — Clearly the Pirates system is loaded with top arms who have a chance to make an impact for the Pirates in the future. With pitchers like Jameson Taillon, Tyler Glasnow, Clay Holmes among others, do you even find yourself thinking how cool it would be to have all of you in a rotation with Gerrit Cole?
NK — “Absolutely…It’s something I think about and i’ve talked about with some of the guys. It’s cool to be mentioned as one of those possible five guys. It would be crazy to play with those guys and it’s definitely something i’m working towards right now.”
GB — You were drafted in 2010, it happened to be a year where the Pirates won 57 games and were the worst team in baseball. A lot has changed in a few years, and the future looks a lot brighter now. Do you get the feeling among your teammates in Indy that the Pirates might be on the verge of something special?
NK — “Oh, for sure, no doubt. It’s huge to be part of the organizations turning point. It’s humbling and an honor to be a part of something that is heading in such a great direction in such a short amount of time since 2010.”
GB — I know you are keeping busy playing in Indy, but do you get much of a chance to follow the Pirates right now?
NK — “Oh yeah, we do. I have a couple of buddies up there right now, and so I talk to them when we can. It’s pretty hard not to want to follow them when you know there’s a chance that our opportunity could be right around the corner. So we definitely follow them as much as possible.”
(Photo credit Bill Gentry/Indianapolis Indians
