Mets Claim Pitcher Fernando Nieve

The Mets have claimed righthander Fernando Nieve off waivers from the Houston Astros.

The 26-year-old righthander went 0-1 with an 8.44 ERA in 11 games for Houston last season and was 2-5 with six saves and a 5.72 ERA in 36 games for Triple-A Round Rock.

Nieve was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Houston Astros in 1999, and was one of their top ten prospects until undergoing Tommy John surgery and missing most of 2007.

Nieve went 45-34 with a 3.63 ERA in an eight year minor league career.

I found it interesting how the Houston Chronicle reported it.

Fernando Nieve’s disappointing time with the Astros finally ended today at noon CST, which is when he was claimed off irrevocable waivers by the New York Mets. It must tell you something about the Mets’ pitching staff when they claimed Nieve, who has been one of the Astros’ most disappointing players. Nieve carried the tag as a guy with a ton of potential, but he’s just another top prospect who never lived up to expectations.

Apparently they didn’t think much of Nieve or the Mets pitching staff for that matter.