As I scrolled through my daily Mets spring training content, something hit me: Where the heck is Jon Niese?
There are so many storylines in camp this year. You have the returning super-star Matt Harvey, the reigning Rookie of The Year Jacob deGrom, and the fire-baller on the verge of breaking out Zack Wheeler. These three have demanded most of the coverage so far in Port St. Lucie. The rest of the coverage dedicated to the Mets pitching staff is centered around Dillon Gee, the trade rumors surrounding him and his feelings about possibly being pushed into a bullpen role.
But don’t worry everyone; Jon Niese is alive, well and ready for another solid season. Niese provides a consistency that the Mets brass have come to expect even during this recent dark age of Mets baseball.
It’s hard to believe Niese, now 28 years old, is entering his 8th year in the majors, all wearing orange and blue. Since his debut in 2008, Niese hasn’t dazzled anyone. He never blew batters away with 95 MPH fastballs. He doesn’t have a 12-6 curve in his arsenal that breaks the knees of the leagues most feared hitters. What he does have is a consistency that Mets fans, as well as the front office, appreciate and respect.
Niese has averaged a 12 wins a year and a 3.87 ERA along the way during his seven-year major league journey. He averages 34 starts a year during that time and 204 innings pitched per year, both above league average. Last year, Niese ranked 54th in the majors in innings pitched with 187.2. Additionally, Niese being a southpaw makes him all the more valuable in the Mets rotation.
He has quietly blended into the rest of the Mets pitchers not named Harvey, DeGrom, Wheeler, Syndergaard, Gee or Matz as far as headlines are concerned.
Health problems have been a factor in Niese’s major league career. “He’s gone through MRI’s the way his teammates go through sunflower seeds,” Marc Carig said in an article in Newsday.
“I haven’t been this confident in my arm in probably three years,” Niese told Carig on the first official day for pitchers to report to Port St. Lucie. Niese participated in the Mike Barwis conditioning program during the offseason, joined by many fellow teammates and prospects. He hopes that the work he put in will limit his time on the disabled list in 2015 and maximize his time on the mound.
“I’ve never worked out like that in my whole career,” Niese said to Carig about the conditioning program. It’s hard to put into perspective the importance of Niese’s positivity concerning his body, given where he was this time last year.
Last spring training, Niese suffered an array of setbacks including soreness in his elbow, which delayed his progress and eventually forced him to begin the year on the disabled list. Niese, eager to get back on the mound, returned after a week, which was probably a bit to soon. Niese suffered shoulder pain shortly after, which persisted into July, forcing him to miss more time.
However, Niese was solid when he was on the mound, posting a 3.40 ERA in 30 starts and also cutting his walk rate to a career-low 2.2 per nine innings.
Niese’s name has circled the rumor mills during this offseason. The Mets surplus of young, under-contract fire-ballers and the southpaw’s team-friendly contract ($7 million in 2015 and $9 million in 2016, with team options for 2017 and 2018), it is easy to see why Niese was a prime trade candidate.
However, reports have indicated that Dillon Gee is be pushed on the trade market as the season gets closer. Alderson failed to move Gee during the winter and has indicated possibly moving the starter to the bullpen if he isn’t moved before then.
What does this all mean for Niese? Nothing out of the ordinary. His job is safe for now in orange and blue as he is part of one of the most dynamite young staffs in all of baseball. With less pressure on his shoulders, Niese can be primed for an above-average year in the middle of the Mets rotation.
