Doug Nikhazy

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Cleveland Guardians #16 prospect in 2025
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/Medium.
  
  Track Record: Nikhazy was a reliable, if not flashy, starter for three years with Ole Miss and signed with the Guardians in the second round of the 2021 draft for a $1.2 million bonus. He’s logged 100 or more innings in each pro season since, and in 2024 posted a 2.98 ERA in 24 starts and 123.2 innings with Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus with a 25.4% strikeout rate and 10.8% walk rate.
  
  Scouting Report: Nikhazy is a 6-foot, 210-pound lefthander who throws from a repeatable three-quarters slot with a slight crossfire landing. He throws a fastball that sits 90-92 mph and has been up to 95-96 with solid riding life that helps set up a trio of effective secondaries. His mid-80s slider is his best pitch and has been effective vs. both lefties and righties with sharp action that takes on a cutter look in the upper 80s. It’s also the pitch he throws for strikes most frequently. His 77-81 mph high-spin curveball has lots of depth, but it’s more of a change-of-pace offering than a real bat-misser. His mid-80s changeup has allowed him to neutralize righties, looks like a solid-average or better offering and generated a strong 24.6% swinging strike rate. Nikhazy improved his control in 2024 but remains a fringy strike-thrower overall.
  
  The Future: Nikhazy’s lack of velocity curbs his upside, but his quality secondaries and consistent upper-minors performance gives him the look of a back-end starter or bulk reliever.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 45 | Curveball: 40 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 45.
• 
  Ranked Cleveland Guardians #27 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/High
  
  Track Record: Nikhazy built a long track record for success at Mississippi. He earned Freshman All-America honors in 2019, pitched for USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team and was named a first-team All-American in 2021. His polish helped him hit the ground running in pro ball, as he debuted with high Class A Lake County and ended the season with Double-A Akron.
  
  Scouting Report: Nikhazy has a slight frame and isn't overpowering but is an elite competitor. His fastball gets up to 94-95 mph, but typically sits around 90. It plays up thanks to his over-the-top arm slot and riding life on the pitch. He throws both a big, looping curveball and a slider that has late, biting action--both of which can be plus pitches. He also has a promising changeup. He pitched with above-average control in college only to struggle with strike throwing in his professional debut. Shoring that up will be critical to his success.
  
  The Future: Nikhazy had no trouble missing bats and his early success in the minor leagues is no surprise. An extended run in Double-A, which he'll get in 2023, will be more telling for his future. He'll have to show more consistency to succeed against better opposition.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 45. Curveball: 60. Slider: 55. Changeup: 50. Control: 50.
• 
  Ranked Cleveland Guardians #21 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: Nikhazy was one of the most polished college pitchers in the 2021 draft class. He earned Freshman All-America honors in 2019, pitched for USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team and was named a first-team All-American in 2021. He didn’t pitch in an official game after Cleveland drafted him, but he did participate in instructional league.
  
  Scouting Report: Nikhazy has a slight frame and isn’t overpowering but is an elite competitor and produced a stellar track record in college. His fastball gets up to 94-95 mph, but typically sits around 90. It plays up thanks to his over-the-top arm slot and the riding life on the pitch. He throws both a big, looping curveball and a slider that has late-biting action, both of which can be plus pitches. He also has a promising changeup but threw it only sparingly in college. He has above-average control.
  
  The Future: Nikhazy’s polish should enable him to move quickly in the minor leagues and he could begin his professional career at High-A. How much upside Nikhazy has will be determined by whether or not Cleveland can coax more velocity out of him.
  

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #75 prospect in 2021 draft
  In a draft class where many players simply lack history or extensive track record, Nikhazy is a polished pitcher with plenty of it. He was a freshman All-American in 2019 after he set the Mississippi freshman record with 86 strikeouts in 89.2 innings, and he also pitched with the Collegiate National Team in 2019. Over three years in the SEC he’s never posted an ERA higher than 3.31 and he’s always walked between 3.0 and 3.5 batters per nine. However, he is a smaller lefthander with a 6-foot, 205-pound frame and a fastball that has peaked in the 94-95 mph range this spring, averaging just 88-90 mph. That velocity will turn some scouts off considering the big league pitching environment—even with a lower velocity bar for southpaws—but Nikhazy does pitch well up in the zone thanks to a very high, over-the-top slot from a smaller frame that creates deception and riding life on his fastball. He pairs that heater nicely with a mid-70s, top-to-bottom curveball that he shows great feel to land, but his better breaking ball could be a low-to-mid-80s slider that has later biting action and has gotten some plus grades this spring. Nikhazy has also flashed a slow changeup to his glove side that could be a real weapon, but he uses it only sparingly. There’s limited upside with Nikhazy, but he has been a consistent performer in the best conference in the country for years and has a solid north-south attacking approach that teams might covet in the second or third round.

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/High
  
  Track Record: Nikhazy built a long track record for success at Mississippi. He earned Freshman All-America honors in 2019, pitched for USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team and was named a first-team All-American in 2021. His polish helped him hit the ground running in pro ball, as he debuted with high Class A Lake County and ended the season with Double-A Akron.
  
  Scouting Report: Nikhazy has a slight frame and isn't overpowering but is an elite competitor. His fastball gets up to 94-95 mph, but typically sits around 90. It plays up thanks to his over-the-top arm slot and riding life on the pitch. He throws both a big, looping curveball and a slider that has late, biting action--both of which can be plus pitches. He also has a promising changeup. He pitched with above-average control in college only to struggle with strike throwing in his professional debut. Shoring that up will be critical to his success.
  
  The Future: Nikhazy had no trouble missing bats and his early success in the minor leagues is no surprise. An extended run in Double-A, which he'll get in 2023, will be more telling for his future. He'll have to show more consistency to succeed against better opposition.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 45. Curveball: 60. Slider: 55. Changeup: 50. Control: 50.
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/High
  
  Track Record: Nikhazy built a long track record for success at Mississippi. He earned Freshman All-America honors in 2019, pitched for USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team and was named a first-team All-American in 2021. His polish helped him hit the ground running in pro ball, as he debuted with high Class A Lake County and ended the season with Double-A Akron.
  
  Scouting Report: Nikhazy has a slight frame and isn't overpowering but is an elite competitor. His fastball gets up to 94-95 mph, but typically sits around 90. It plays up thanks to his over-the-top arm slot and riding life on the pitch. He throws both a big, looping curveball and a slider that has late, biting action--both of which can be plus pitches. He also has a promising changeup. He pitched with above-average control in college only to struggle with strike throwing in his professional debut. Shoring that up will be critical to his success.
  
  The Future: Nikhazy had no trouble missing bats and his early success in the minor leagues is no surprise. An extended run in Double-A, which he'll get in 2023, will be more telling for his future. He'll have to show more consistency to succeed against better opposition.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 45. Curveball: 60. Slider: 55. Changeup: 50. Control: 50.
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 45/High
  
  Track Record: Nikhazy was one of the most polished college pitchers in the 2021 draft class. He earned Freshman All-America honors in 2019, pitched for USA Baseball&#39s Collegiate National Team and was named a first-team All-American in 2021. He didn&#39t pitch in an official game after Cleveland drafted him, but he did participate in instructional league.
  
  Scouting Report: Nikhazy has a slight frame and isn&#39t overpowering but is an elite competitor and produced a stellar track record in college. His fastball gets up to 94-95 mph, but typically sits around 90. It plays up thanks to his over-the-top arm slot and the riding life on the pitch. He throws both a big, looping curveball and a slider that has late-biting action, both of which can be plus pitches. He also has a promising changeup but threw it only sparingly in college. He has above-average control.
  
  The Future: Nikhazy&#39s polish should enable him to move quickly in the minor leagues and he could begin his professional career at High-A. How much upside Nikhazy has will be determined by whether or not Cleveland can coax more velocity out of him.
• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Nikhazy was one of the most polished college pitchers in the 2021 draft class. He earned Freshman All-America honors in 2019, pitched for USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team and was named a first-team All-American in 2021. He didn’t pitch in an official game after Cleveland drafted him, but he did participate in instructional league.
  
  Scouting Report: Nikhazy has a slight frame and isn’t overpowering but is an elite competitor and produced a stellar track record in college. His fastball gets up to 94-95 mph, but typically sits around 90. It plays up thanks to his over-the-top arm slot and the riding life on the pitch. He throws both a big, looping curveball and a slider that has late-biting action, both of which can be plus pitches. He also has a promising changeup but threw it only sparingly in college. He has above-average control.
  
  The Future: Nikhazy’s polish should enable him to move quickly in the minor leagues and he could begin his professional career at High-A. How much upside Nikhazy has will be determined by whether or not Cleveland can coax more velocity out of him.
  
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  In a draft class where many players simply lack history or extensive track record, Nikhazy is a polished pitcher with plenty of it. He was a freshman All-American in 2019 after he set the Mississippi freshman record with 86 strikeouts in 89.2 innings, and he also pitched with the Collegiate National Team in 2019. Over three years in the SEC he's never posted an ERA higher than 3.31 and he's always walked between 3.0 and 3.5 batters per nine. However, he is a smaller lefthander with a 6-foot, 205-pound frame and a fastball that has peaked in the 94-95 mph range this spring, averaging just 88-90 mph. That velocity will turn some scouts off considering the big league pitching environment—even with a lower velocity bar for southpaws—but Nikhazy does pitch well up in the zone thanks to a very high, over-the-top slot from a smaller frame that creates deception and riding life on his fastball. He pairs that heater nicely with a mid-70s, top-to-bottom curveball that he shows great feel to land, but his better breaking ball could be a low-to-mid-80s slider that has later biting action and has gotten some plus grades this spring. Nikhazy has also flashed a slow changeup to his glove side that could be a real weapon, but he uses it only sparingly. There's limited upside with Nikhazy, but he has been a consistent performer in the best conference in the country for years and has a solid north-south attacking approach that teams might covet in the second or third round.