This story was excerpted from Christina De Nicola’s Marlins Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
MIAMI – Being traded midseason is a hectic time for a ballplayer. There’s the logistics of packing up your belongings, moving to a different city and getting to know new teammates and coaches.
When Marlins reliever Victor Vodnik found out he would be headed from Colorado to South Florida this August, a text message of congratulations from retired Marlin Ricky Nolasco stood out from a sea of others.
Only three people from Rialto High School in California have appeared in the Major Leagues, and Vodnik and Nolasco are two of them.
Back in 2018, Nolasco heard from the school’s head baseball coach via Instagram about a pitcher prepping for the Draft. The coach asked whether Nolasco would come to talk to the pitcher.
“During that time, I was throwing a bullpen, and [Nolasco] told me that I had a big league arm,” Vodnik recalled. “He basically broke down, like in feet, what high school movement usually looks like, and then what college usually looks like, and then what big league movement usually looks like. ‘You have a big league arm. Your stuff moves like that. So just continue to do your thing and work hard.’ And I did.”
Added Nolasco: “I talked to him a little bit first, and then watched him throw, and obviously he's got a lightning bolt in his right arm, which was very impressive. He was raw, no doubt about that, but most high school kids are. …
“I was instantly very impressed with his maturity and things like that, and that was the most important thing that I wanted to stress. Make sure that he's going in the right path, and understand that this is a very small window that a lot of people don't get, so make sure to take advantage of that.”
The Braves selected Vodnik in the 14th round of the 2018 Draft, but he made his big league debut five years later with the Rockies.
With 175 career big league appearances on his resume from 2023-26, Vodnik now pays it forward. Before Spring Training, Vodnik and Nolasco were honored at Rialto High School as part of a ceremony that unveiled new lights for the baseball field.
“It was a huge dream, and it was cool to have somebody who had gotten drafted out of there talk to me during that process,” Vodnik said. “It was huge for me, and so I want to do the same thing. I go back to the high school now and then. I still live in Rialto. It meant a lot to me because he helped me out a lot, and I like to help people.”
In between in-person catchups, Nolasco has followed Vodnik’s career from afar. There have been lows – as often can be the case pitching at Coors Field – and highs. In 2025, Vodnik posted a career-best 3.02 ERA in 52 outings, but in 2026, he had a 5.25 ERA in 33 appearances before being dealt to Miami.
At the time of the trade, Vodnik’s 98.6 mph average fastball velocity and 55.6% ground-ball rate ranked in the 96th and 95th percentiles, respectively. As Nolasco witnessed years ago, Vodnik has Major League stuff.
Nolasco will text Vodnik after a bad game about remembering to be ready to pitch the following day. As a reliever, he has the chance to quickly redeem himself. Nolasco kept up with the Marlins more this year between Vodnik’s addition to Miami and Sandy Alcantara’s passing of Nolasco on the franchise leaderboard for innings pitched.
Though a lot has changed since Nolasco’s 12-year MLB career, which ended in 2017, he’s available if Vodnik needs guidance, especially if a breaking ball is involved.
“Try to give him his space and not bombard him with anything about baseball, because he's a professional,” Nolasco said. “He's in the big leagues. He knows what he's doing. I definitely keep track of his numbers and games and things like that. I did see when he got traded to the Marlins, and I just told him, ‘Hey, good luck. You're going to love the 305,' and things like that. So, hopefully, nothing but the best for him from here on out.”