Kirk Nieuwenhuis hit his sixth home run of the year last night, a solo shot in the sixth inning against the Reds.
Nieuwenhuis has now hit three home runs in his last two games and has four in the month of June which ties him for the most with Milwaukee’s Martin Maldonado among all major league rookies.
Nieuwenhuis is starting to garner some strong consideration for the top rookie honor as he continues to make a significant impact in the Mets lineup.
His defense has been spectacular and he added to his 2012 highlight reel with another dazzling catch in last night’s game.
Captain Kirk is currently tied for the major league lead among rookies with 62 hits and leads all rookies with 37 runs scored. He is also tied for second with 20 walks and third with a .358 on-base percentage. Nieuwenhuis is second among NL rookies with 24 RBI and third with a .297 batting average.
His chief competition among rookie hitters will most likely come from the National’s Bryce Harper who has hit the ground running, but still has some catching up to do.
But considering that Nieuwenhuis wasn’t even in the conversation before the season got underway, you have to give Kirk a ton of credit for what he has been able to accomplish since being called up in April.
