Possessing the rare combination[1] of batting right-handed and throwing left-handed, he served primarily as a right fielder when he did not pitch.

Signed by the Browns without having previously played any minor league baseball, Nicol made his debut on September 23, 1890, and pitched—what was then considered to be—a no-hitter.

In August of the same season, he was traded to the Louisville Colonels, with whom he played his final major league game on September 29, 1894.

[2] His father, Matthew Nicol, immigrated to the United States from Scotland in 1852, while his mother, Eliza, was born in America.

There, he rose to fame as a left-handed pitcher[3]—probably due to rarity and valuableness of southpaws[4][5]—and eventually got the opportunity to play in the major leagues before he turned 20.

[2] Nicol was signed by the St. Louis Browns near the end of the 1890 season,[3] even though he had no prior experience in minor league baseball.

[3] Nicol made his major league debut for the Browns on September 23, 1890, starting the game against the Philadelphia Athletics that resulted in a 21–2 win.

[3][9] His subsequent starts were disappointing, most notably a 10–3 loss against the Toledo Maumees, where his inability to hold baserunners was first exposed.

[3] He finished the season with a win–loss record of 2–1, a 4.76 earned run average (ERA), and had 16 strikeouts but walked 19 in three games started.

[3] His pitching performances caught the eye of Chicago Colts manager Cap Anson, who offered him a $225 a month contract.

[3] Nicol arrived in Chicago on July 20 and was penciled in to start on consecutive days against Charles Radbourn and Cy Young.

[6] In early June, there was speculation that players would have their salaries cut in order to sustain the league, which was allegedly on the verge of collapsing.

Several weeks after two of his teammates departed, Nicol himself left the team, joining the two in the Eastern League with the Erie Blackbirds.

[3] He continued his stellar pitching performances with a 13–9 record and a 1.80 ERA in 200 innings, while reducing the number of walks issued to 89.

[2] Because of his pitching struggles, he changed positions[3] and played 26 games in the outfield during his time with the organization, making 43 putouts, 2 assists, and committed 9 errors, resulting in a .791 fielding percentage.

[6] After spending just one month with the team, he moved within the league to the Milwaukee Brewers, where he played for five seasons and was utilized exclusively as an outfielder from 1896 onwards.