Pittsburgh Pirates 2021 Draft: Pirates Add A Left-Handed NDFA

On Friday afternoon, the Pittsburgh Pirates made yet another move to bolster their already spectacular 2021 draft class. 

The Pittsburgh Pirates were able to add Nick Dombkowski, the left-handed starting pitcher out of Hartford, on a Non-Drafted Free Agent (NDFA) deal. Dombkowski was slated to transfer onto Texas A&M after not getting drafted but ultimately got a deal from the Pirates.

In  2020, Dombkowski had his best season by far of his college career. He had a perfect 3-0 record in his three starts and an ERA of 0.90. He also allowed only seven hits and four walks all season compared to his strikeout number of 20. This is very promising to see in a pitching prospect but is not even the best thing from that season.

During the 2020 season, Dombkowski was able to do what all pitchers dream of, and that was to throw a no-hitter. His college, Hartford, was threatening the team that they were going to move them down to a DIII school, but Dombkowski was not about to let that happen.

Dombkowski went out on the mound against Albany and threw with true motivation in order to show how good the baseball program was and was able to keep them from getting a single base knock. This showed how when times get tough Dombkowski already seems like he can be a player that can be trusted to lead and motive a team when they need it the most, which is a great trait in a pitcher.

While his 2020 campaign was impressive, 2021 has been a little bit more of a rockier season for him, which probably led to him not being drafted in the shortened 20 round draft. In 2021 at Hartford, he went 4-3 in his ten games with an ERA of 3.13, which is significantly higher than what he posted in 2020.

One major bright spot on this year’s college campaign was still his ability to punch out batters. For yet another season, Dombkowski was able to strike out more batters than he allowed hits and walks combined. (72 vs 69) This is very nice to see from a pitcher, as it shows how good his control is.

This year Dombkowski also pitched for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox in the Cape Cod League. Here, he pitched better than he did during his senior season at Hartford. Dombkowski posted a 3-0 record and his ERA was back down to 2.20. Just like his other seasons, he still managed to keep his strikeouts higher than his combined hits and walks. (16 vs 15)

When looking at all of these numbers it comes as almost a shock that the Pittsburgh Pirates would be able to snag a player like Dombkowski as an NDFA. While Dombkowski was not a top name in the draft, he will definitely be a player to keep an eye on, as he does have the potential to be a good pitcher and was definitely was a great addition to this year’s already stacked draft class.