17
2012
2012 Mets Player Review: Jonathan Niese, LHP
An article by 
JONATHAN NIESE, LHP
PRESEASON EXPECTATIONS: Jonathan Niese was another Mets pitcher who went into spring training coming off an injury. He pulled a right rib cage muscle in Sept. 2011, while pitching against the Phillies and was shut down. Two years earlier, Niese’s season ended with a severely pulled hamstring. While the Mets weren’t worried about his arm, two muscle pulls had them wonder if he was susceptible to such injuries. Foolishly, Niese felt discomfort in his previous start, but continued to pitch against the Phillies. In 2010 and 2011, Niese won nine and 11 games, respectively, and displayed composure and an ability to work out of trouble. Niese doesn’t have overpowering stuff, but throws a plus cutter and fall-off-the-table curveball. When he’s able to command those pitches, it increases the effectiveness of his fastball. Assuming his health, the Mets expected him to continue to develop and hopefully win as many as 15 games as a No. 3 starter.
2012 SEASON REVIEW: Although Niese fell short of 15 victories, he continued to make strides to become one of the Mets’ most reliable pitchers. Satisfied he was healthy, the Mets signed Niese to a $25.5 million contract extension with team options for 2017 and 2018. Largely unproven, the Mets were banking on Niese’s potential and at the time GM Sandy Alderson said he was the type of player the club could build around. The contract enables the Mets to avoid arbitration and Niese’s first shot at free agency, which is paramount in cost control. Niese tied his career high of 30 starts and logged 190.1 innings. Niese, like most Mets’ starters save R.A. Dickey, suffered from a lack of run support and bullpen collapses. Niese responded from a combined 4-5 in July and August to win this final three starts to finish at 13-9 with a 3.40 ERA and 1.17 WHIP. Niese had an impressive 155-49 strikeouts-to-walks ratio and worked into the seventh inning or longer in 17 appearances. He only had two starts in which he did not work at least five innings. Niese did miss a start after he was pulled for a June 3 game with a rapid heartbeat.
LOOKING AT 2013: Although Niese did not have a reoccurrence of the rapid heartbeat in the second half, he will undergo surgery at the Cleveland Clinic to alleviate the problem. It is considered minor surgery, but anything involving the heart can’t be thought of as minor. Figuring he will make a full recovery, the Mets expect him to build on 2013. Considering his age and salary, he would be in high demand on the trade market, but a pitcher of Niese’s potential is exactly what the franchise needs. Niese’s overall numbers were good and assuming he receives run support – the Mets failed to score more than three runs in 17 starts – 15 victories and 200-plus innings should be reachable. Niese would enter next year as the No. 3 starter assuming everything works in the positive with Johan Santana and R.A. Dickey.
TOMORROW: Dillon Gee, RHP
About the Author: John Delcos
I am an active member of the BBWAA and have covered Major League Baseball in several capacities for over 20 years, including ten in New York working the Mets' and Yankees' beat. I covered the Baltimore Orioles for eight years and the Cleveland Indians before that. I currently serve as an editor and senior staff writer for Mets Merized Online. Follow me on Twitter @jdelcos.
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 24 | 18 | .571 | - |
| Nationals | 23 | 20 | .535 | 1.5 |
| Phillies | 20 | 23 | .465 | 4.5 |
| Mets | 16 | 24 | .400 | 7.0 |
| Marlins | 11 | 32 | .256 | 13.5 |
Last updated: 05/18/2013
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Unless I was blown away with a rediculous offer, Jon Niese is one player I would NOT consider trading. He could be poised for a break out monster year if he gets some run support.
I agree, Niese seems to be getting better and better.
Jon Tudor? John Candeleria? Jon Lester? Jonathan Niese.
Keep him, its a no brainier.
how could you forget Marlack?
Niese never really have bad starts he just dont know how to stop bad innings he can give up five runs in the first and by tie the six inning come he would only had giving up five runs. If he able to keep in composure he can be really good for us.
Would have to agree right down the line…Niese is a keeper for the Mets
Niese had 22 starts where he went 6 innings or more giving up 3 ER or less.
He finished up the year with a 1.17 WHIP and 14th in the NL with a 3.40 ERA.
He’s a keeper.
Actually…if we can get a Jurickson Profur + some of Texas’s top pitching prospects for Niese…I would do it in a heartbeat…
Jurickson Profur is not going to get expensive for at least another 5 years…and will provide improved defense and offense at a premium position…
That allows Tejada to slide over to 2B…a DRASTIC improvement over Murphy at 2B
That allows Murphy to slide over to 3B…a temporary stop-gap solution until one of the mets 3B prospects distinguishes themselves…
This allows the Mets to trade David Wright….for a good package…
If the mets can trade Niese, Dickey and Wright….and get back a package that includes a TOP SS…a TOP C….a TOP Pitcher and a TOP CF…all who will be pre-arb for the next 3 years and wont jack up payroll for another 4 years…they will have done wonders for the future of this franchise…
Eventually Murphy and Duda will be out of here too…2013 should be about raising their trade value…
You build around Ike, Harvey, Wheeler, Mejia, and the prospects u get back from trading 3 top players…2 who are on their way out anyway…
Hey Just_Da……You certainly can think out of the box. But here’s the best part of your trade scenario – if the Mets pull it off and say good-bye to Wright, Dickey and Neise, attendance will prob be under 1 million next year and the Wilpons will be forced to sell for sure…..YESSSSSSSSSSSSS.
BTW…..I also love Profur
LMAO…by just trading either Wright or Dickey…attendance will be around that anyway !
The only guarenteed way of increasing attendance in NY is to win
You might get some angry fans that get mad u didnt win game 2 of the NLDS…but they already bought those overpriced seats….
o wait…those are yankee fans…
na but on the real…
the hardest positions to fill now in 2012 are SS, C, CF and an ace…
if u can get back a good 12 prospects for 3 players…and of those 12 u get a top SS, a top CF, a top C and maybe a couple of good pitchers…u would have plugged up several holes for min wage prices…making the team more attractive to a prospective buyer group
Would rather they trade Dickey than Niese. I know the return would be less for Dickey than Niese, even though he is a knuckleballer other teams are hesitant about acquiring a 37 year old pitcher.
But if Dickey is packaged with a couple of minor leaguers such as Domingo Tapia and Wilmer Flores maybe they can get the young outfielder they need. I know Flores is our best hitting prospect but what is his position on the field? 3rd? blocked by Wright. 1st? blocked by Davis.
The perception is he may be worst defensively at 2nd than Murphy and no better than Duda in the outfield.
Hi MoeV…..Flores is not the greatest defensively no matter where he plays, but thus far his best fielding percentage has been at 2B.
My predictyion is at some point in his career Niese will pitch a no Hitter and may even have a Cy Young season.
He has the stuff to do it.
His issue has always been conditioning and running out of gas late in the season and his new running regimen has helped him this year immensely.
The heart thing has me a bit concerned as he will not be able to run for awhile after the surgery.
But it should be noted that heart surgery is not as bad as we think it is these days. They do a lot of scoping now as opposed to opening you up which is where most of the complications and debilitation comes from (got to get throught he ribs and such)
Hell they can even place stints in and send you home the next day thats how good they have gotten at it.
I think he will be ok.