Nick Dombkowski
Nick Dombkowski
Position: LHP
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 210 lbs
Bats/Throws: R/L
Born: 08/09/1998
College: University of Hartford
How Acquired: Non-drafted Free Agent, 2021
Bonus: N/A
40-man Roster: No
Rule 5 Eligible: 2024
Minor League Free Agency: 2027
Options Left: 3
Overview
Dombkowski pitched for four years as a starter at Hartford. He still had a year of eligibility left and was planning to go to Texas A&M, but signed with the Pirates instead. Baseball America rated him 405th among draft prospects in 2020, but in the five-round draft he went unselected. At the time, BA characterized him as an overachiever. He throws an upper-80s to lower-90s fastball that plays up due to his command. He has a good change that misses a lot of bats, especially with right-handed hitters. His slider also misses bats, again due to his command. Dombkowski got consistently good results at Hartford, with a career ERA of 3.47 and WHIP of 1.17. In 2021, those figures were 3.13 and 1.14, with 27 walks and 72 strikeouts in 67.1 IP. Dombkowski also has a history of pitching very well in summer ball, particularly in the Cape Cod League.
2021-22
Dombkowski made it to AA quickly. After he signed, the Pirates sent him to Bradenton in early August. He pitched well in relief, missing bats and holding opponents to a .178 average. His 3.86 ERA is misleading; six of the eight earned runs he allowed came in one of his 11 outings.
In 2022, Dombkowski moved up through three levels. He pitched only four times at Bradenton and ten at Greensboro, as he had little trouble at either level. Altoona was more of a challenge, but his numbers were still good there, including the 2.4 BB/9 and 9.8 K/9. A meltdown in his last outing, when he gave up five earned runs and recorded only one out, inflated the AA numbers to a 3.92 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. Left-handed batters managed only a .591 OPS against him, while right-handed batters didn’t do all that well, at .672.
2023-24
Dombkowski spent nearly all of 2023 with Altoona, mostly pitching in relief but also starting eight games. He had a solid season, with opponents batting .233 against him. He walked just 2.8 per nine innings, although he had a very low K rate of 6.1 per nine. Home runs were a problem, as he gave up 13 in 85 innings. His pitching didn’t differ much between starting and relieving.
In 2024, Dombkowski moved back and forth between Altoona and Indianapolis, roughly splitting his season evenly between the two and serving in a swing role for both. He pitched well for the Curve, with a 3.17 ERA and 1.10 WHIP. AAA was tougher, as he had a 4.32 ERA and 1.83 WHIP. Part of the difference was walks, as Dombkowski’s BB/9 shot up from 2.8 in AA to 6.8 in AAA. He had slightly low K rates at both levels.
Stats
Transactions
July 16, 2021: Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as a non-drafted free agent.