The biggest bargain in the Dodgers' loaded 2023 international class, Nieves signed for just $10,000 out of the Dominican Republic that March. He repeated the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League, logging a 5.43 ERA in two seasons there before taking off in his U.S. debut last summer. He was one of the more unhittable pitchers in the lower Minors, holding opponents to a .171 average with a 27 percent strikeout rate between Rookie ball and Single-A.
Nieves' fastball velocity made a jump in 2025, sitting in the mid-90s and reaching 99 mph, and he found more success after switching from a fairly straight four-seamer to a two-seamer with run and sink. His mid-80s slider features devastating sweep at its best and he can also tighten it into a harder cutter. His nascent mid-80s changeup can flash some intriguing fade and sink.
Nieves has a quick, whippy arm action and a lean 6-foot-3 frame that can add plenty of muscle, so there may be more velocity to come. He's still learning to keep his long limbs in sync and repeat his delivery, so the consistency of his secondary pitches and his control are still works in progress. But he has as much helium as any pitcher in the system and could become a future mid-rotation starter.
