Forecasts for Fifteen: Kirk Nieuwenhuis

[Edgy MD]

Guess who's batting .717 in spring training? It's your leading candidate for fifth outfielder/lefthanded pinch hitter. Yeah, a lot of teams go for aging but unflappable slappers like Lenny Harris or meaty sluggerinos like Kila Ka'aihue, but I got more youthful athleticism than those types, I can play every day if forced, and I'm out of options, so sorry, den Dekker, I'm ahead of you in line.

[fimg=550:r3ydkqz5]http://mets360.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Kirk-Nieuwenhuis.jpg[/fimg:r3ydkqz5]

Yeah, maybe I'm not the first guy you think of as a lefty bat off the bench, but sometimes you don't go out and search for a vet pinch-hitter. Sometimes you make one. See Franco, Matt.

I had some big hits last year. Waddaya think I've got to offer this year?

[ashie62]

Total clumsy bum.

[Edgy MD]

That a strangely hostile description. Care to explain?

[Guest themetfairy]

A nice spare part to have around.

[MFS62]

He's going to stick with the club because he's out of options and MDD still has at lest one left.
He'll play all three outfield positions and get about 200 at bats , hitting .245-7-24.

Later

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Edgy MD wrote: That a strangely hostile description. Care to explain?

I can explain. It's a stupid, ignorant comment.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Kirk was about as good as Grandy last year with the stick. I don't feel like he's ever going to be as accomplished as Grandy career-wise but he's a real good athlete and if he can fake it well enough to be a Mayberry from the left side then we might have a pretty useful guy.


Put me down for a repeat of last season.

[Vic Sage]

250 PA / .250 -10hr-35rbi

can spot all 3 OF slots, and 1B, plus the LH off the bench. Age 27, coming into his own as a 4th OF with a quality bat.

[Frayed Knot]

The only problem with comparing him to Granderson is that Kirk is putting up his numbers while for the most part getting to skip LHPs (exactly 1/6 of his ML PAs are vs LHP)
Now maybe it's the old Catch-22 where he can't hit them because he doesn't face them and verse-vica, but his limited sample [.167/.270/.205] doesn't give one all that much CAHNfidence.
But that just makes his RHP splits look that much better [.255/.324/.428] and hopefully a good fill-in/PH combo with JMJr

[Edgy MD]

I don't see Nieuwenhuis as getting any innings at first base. He's got all of zero innings there in the majors and two innings in the minors. I mean, yeah, if Duda, Cuddyer, Campbell, Murphy, Mayberry, Flores, and maybe Recker all become simultaneously unavailable. d'Arnaud and Plawecki have both seen more time there.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Maybe it's just the way he wears the hell out of that beard, but even considering the strikeout rate and platoon limitations, I'm feeling weirdly bullish on the guy. Mighty useful P/T starter and sinister-side Mayberry. BOLD PREDICTION: when we make a playoff run this fall, here's your timely-hitting, cardboard-beard-inspiring Cult Hero.

90 G, 280 PA, .268/.328/.508, 30 R, 14 HR (!), 38 RBI, 28 XBH, 5 SB

[smg58]

I'm going with LWFS on this one. He'll force his way into the lineup at least against righties by being a much better fielder than Cuddyer and a better hitter than Granderson.

[TransMonk]

I'm agreed with the two above.

Mets fans will memorize how to spell his name this season.

[Ceetar]

I've always liked Kirk and think he's done himself well. out of options too so probably sticks as the 5th OF guy.

Won't really get to play against lefties much but will get a fair amount of AB otherwise. 232 PA. 6 HR, 6SB. Won't carry the .259/.346/.482 line from last year into the bigger sample, but .261/.328/.462 seems doable.

Will log at least 1 inning in each of the three outfield positions. I could see him playing in like 140 games just because as currently projected he might be the only lefty on the bench so he'll get that pinch hit off the bench a lot.

[Lefty Specialist]

225 PA, 6 HR, 28 RBI, .255. Plus 5 mentions by Gary of how he gained over 250 yards in his high school state championship game.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Fixture the whole year, ya need a few fixtures even it they
don't stand out all the time. Niewenice fixture to have.

[Edgy MD]

I think he has a real chance — has made for himself a real chance — to re-assert himself as a regular or a semi-regular here. He's hitting everything in spring training. He was a late-game threat last year, he's got the power and he's got the speed and he's got the attitude.

I think a slump or an injury will make him into a starter, or at least a starter two days in three, and he's going to bite down hard on that role: .272 / .344 / .461 // .805, which will look good by 2015 standards. 16 homers, 66 RBI, 14 steals.

He'll be hitting so consistently one hot July afternoon that someone on Atlanta will attempt an egregious drilling. (Do they even face Atlanta in July? Because in my mind, it's Atlanta.)

[Frayed Knot]

The best thing he's got going for him (in addition to the out of options thing) is that he serves as Granderson insurance, as Cuddyer insurance, as Lagares insurance, and, by extension, as Duda insurance (he won't play 1B if Duda gets hurt and/or suxx but Cuddyer will and Nieuwy moves in that way).
I think most folks are focusing on Granderson and Cuddyer but there's at least as good a chance that Lagares won't hit enough to maintain an everyday spot in the lineup.

Looking forward to seeing the two-headed monster of Nieuwenhuis & Mayberry put some points on the board this summer ... and not just on the SCRABBLE board.
At worst, it's been a while since we had a bench tandem with the ability to make the opposing manager have to juggle his bullpen if not soil his shorts in the late innings of a game.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Stuff out there that Kirk is going to Angels... but that's
all I got so far.

[Frayed Knot]

d'Kong76 wrote: Stuff out there that Kirk is going to Angels... but that's all I got so far.

In exchange for Trout, right?
OK, Kirk plus Matz for Trout but the Angels have to eat some salary.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Guess it's for Cash... not familiar with him at all.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Kirk soars with the Angels!

We got the promising Cash Considerations back

[Edgy MD]

Backing up Mike Trout has to be one of the cushiest jobs in sports.

[Guest d'Kong76]

d'Kong76 wrote: Fixture the whole year, ya need a few fixtures

Swing and a miss.

[TransMonk]

d'Kong76 wrote: Guess it's for Cash... not familiar with him at all.

[Vic Sage]

Cash? Oh, that's a player the Wilpons have been trying to get for a while now.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Yeah, but you know, guys like that, they never seem to perform the same when they come over here, do they?

[Edgy MD]

Looks like Nieuwie is going to start for now with the Angels, or at least platoon with Colin Cowgill.

Going from Met limbo to starting next to Mike Trout is a pretty sweet reversal of fortune. Here's hoping he capitalizes on it.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Pinch ran, scored, walked, scored. Wearing No. 22!

[Guest d'Kong76]

Fan in middle sportin' his Tricorder Vll.