Kirk Nieuwenhuis will be entering his fourth MLB season in 2015, and at age 27 he’s now a fringe player who has run out of options.
As Mike Vorkunov of NJ.com points out, Nieuwenhuis is entering this season without a starting position available and is most likely fighting for a roster spot as a fourth outfielder for the Mets.
The most encouraging thing about Nieuwenhuis was his ability to hit for power in limited play last season, batting .259/.346/.482/.828 with 14 doubles and three home runs in 130 plate appearances.
Kirk seemed to thrive in his role as a pinch hitter, and defensively he’s capable of playing all three outfield spots. He even registered an impressive four defensive runs saved in 2014 according to FanGraphs.
Terry Collins was very pleased with the job Nieuwenhuis did for him. “He’s come off the bench, he came back and he’s probably been our most proficient pinch hitter.”
“The one value he brings us is he can play any position out there and that helps us a lot on the flexibility side of things. He’s done a nice job and this winter we’ll talk about what he needs to do to make sure he comes in and I think he’s out of options so he has to make himself ready.”
What do you think? Is Captain-Kirk a solid option as the Mets fourth outfielder?
