MLB New York Mets

Making the Case For Jonathon Niese Atop the New York Mets’ Rotation

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By @mturnerny

Jonathon Niese New York Mets

Brad Penner – USA Today Sports

With all the talk of Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler and Jacob deGrom, we mustn’t forget the New York Mets have three other veteran pitchers more than capable of getting the job done every fifth game. Those three are Jonathon Niese, Dillon Gee and Bartolo Colon. While the three young starters have been getting plenty of attention for what’s to come, and with Gee and Colon often being the pitchers most mentioned in trade talks, Niese finds himself all alone. Yet the former Opening Day starter deserves more credit than he’s receiving entering 2015.

Although Niese would be an interesting trade piece for any team looking for a pitcher, the Mets shot down that idea pretty quick, as he’s their only lefty. That ended pretty much every conversation this winter about Niese. However, when he is mentioned, he’s the projected No. 4 starter behind Harvey, Wheeler and deGrom, but really he’s much more than a No. 4 starter. He’s been relied on in the past to lead the Mets rotation, and although he doesn’t have the ceiling that the three young starters have, that doesn’t mean he should immediately be pushed towards the end of the rotation.

Harvey, the ace-apparent, is coming off an injury. Wheeler still has some rough patches and requires more fine-tuning, and deGrom is entering only his second year and may regress. Niese has started 24 or more games in each of the last five years since becoming a full-time starter; in three of those years he’s started 30 games, and last season he posted his career-best ERA. He’s never going to strike out 200 batters, but he does have great command and will never walk many.

Does this mean Niese should be the Opening Day starter and the ace of the Mets’ impressive pitching rotation? No, I don’t think so, to be honest. But I do believe he might suit well as the No. 2 or No. 3 starter. By placing Niese ahead of Wheeler and/or deGrom, you break up the young pitchers. While they’re all seemingly going to be great pitchers, it’s entirely feasible they simultaneously hit a rough patch. And in a competitive NL East, the Mets won’t have the time to lose too many consecutive games too often. Obviously that’s all hypothetical, but I’d be more comfortable with Niese mixed in.

For a brief example, if Niese was part of the top three, say Harvey, Niese, deGrom, that would push Wheeler out of the first series against the Washington Nationals,  a team he always has trouble facing. Then, Wheeler would start the second series against his hometown Atlanta Braves, a team he fares much better against. And as the season progresses and the Mets try to give Harvey some breaks, it would be great to have a veteran leading the Mets’ pitchers as opposed to a third or second-year player.

So, while it might not be the exciting move, or the one everyone’s talking about, I feel Niese would benefit the Mets much more as the No. 2 starter as opposed to No. 4. You want your best pitchers on the mound most often, and until Wheeler and deGrom especially (although Harvey can be included as well), show that they’re fully capable of pitching the way they’re expected to, Niese should be considered one of the Mets’ best pitchers.

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