The Keeper - 7 - CF - Kirk Nieuwenhuis

7.                 Kirk Nieuwenhuis

4-28-10: - Kirk Nieuwenhuis – OF – AA – Binghamton – Kirk is off to another of his typical productive years: .313.360/.475/.835. I happen to think that he’s the top Mets outfield prospect and will get to Queens ahead of Fernando “Day-To-Day” Martinez, who I understand is once again dinged up.

5-22-10: - OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis: Most of the outfield prospect press has fallen on Fernando Martinez; however, Nieuwenhuis has very quietly become the top Mets prospect for that position. Kirk hit 16-HR and 71-RBI for St. Lucie last year and is hitting .301/.337/.470/.807 so far this season for Binghamton. He needs to learn some plate discipline (only 8-BB this season), but as of right now, he’s on top of the list to become a future Mets center fielder. Keep an eye on this kid. Big trade bait.

5-27-10 - Stock up: Nieuwenhuis has quietly been putting together a decent year in AA, but there just wasn’t that home run pop we got used to last season at St. Lucie. Well, that’s not true anymore. Kirk hit #7 of the young year last night, which is his third in the past five games. His slugging percentage is up to .500 and his OPS is .837. It will be interesting to see what the Mets do with him next season. They gave him a taste over Fernando Martinez at ST and I can speak firsthand about how much he enjoyed being part of the Mets locker room with the Queens boys. Martinez will obviously not be ready to play centerfield at Citi Field, but Nieuwenhuis is earning playing CF in Buffalo, over F-Mart. As I said, interesting decision coming up for the Mets.

6-11-10: - CF Kirk Nieuwenhuis hit his 9th home run of the season in the opening game of a twin bill Thursday. Don’t look for him to be heading to Buffalo any time soon. Pedro Feliciano will be returning there as soon as Carlos Beltran is activated. Still, Captain Kirk is on pace for a 20+ HR season at AA.

7-3-10: - Nieuwenhuis continues to strengthen up after his short stint on the disabled list. He hit his 11th home run of the season in the first game of a Friday night doubleheader and it’s interesting that the team management continues to have him lead off. Right now, he is the top Mets’ outfield prospect in the system.

7-7-10: - Binghamton’s Kirk Nieuwenhuis is on fire… he led off Wednesday’s game with a double for the third game in a row and followed that with another double in his second at bat. At that point in the game he had nine doubles, a home run, and four singles in his last 20 at-bats.

3-19-11: - Down: - Kirk Nieuwenhuis - Look, the Captain is having a horrible spring, batting only .097 (3-31). He's obviously not ready for the big show, which is fine, but I wish the Mets would just return him to the minor league portion of the complex and let him get his confidence back. How many times have we had to watch some kid have a bad spring, or a bad first time in the majors, and then go down and funk out for a month or two. Remember Anderson Hernandez? How about Nick Evans? Nieuwenhuis is only getting innings now because of split schedule days.

Up: - OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis – 4-19-11 – Kirk has hit .355 in the past ten games, raising his seasonal AAA batting average to .325. I expect the Mets to leave him alone this season and let his bat mature at Buffalo. Can he start next year for New York? Hell, if Happy Hairston can…

4-21-11: - Captain Kirk’s biggest obstacle is pitch selection, which keeps his strike outs high. Last year:  132 in 514 at bats. So far this season: 12 in 47 at bats. By the way, he made another killer catch in centerfield in this game. As much as I have told you that he doesn’t have what it takes to star in the majors, he is making a case of proving me wrong so far this season.

4-23-11 -  UP – OF Kirk Nieuwenhius – I go hot and cold on the Captain, but he’s off to a great start this spring. He’s cut down on his strikeouts, increased his walks, and is playing all-star defense. Through 4-23, he’s hitting .333/.421/.588/.985, but only four RBIs. Still the increased OBP and 16-BB/57-AB is encouraging.

4-25-11: - CF Kirk Nieuwenhis continues to hit well, but his defense in centerfield seems to become under question. He played two balls very badly yesterday, resulting in runs scored. Neither was accredited to an error,but both, let’s say, would have been run down by either Angel Pagan or the 2009 version of Carlos Beltran. He still projects out as a liability in CitiField centerfield.

8-11-11: - http://metsmerizedonline.com/2011/08/baseball-americas-mets-top-10-list-prior-to-2011-where-are-they-now.html - OF – Kirk Nieuwenhuis: Kirk was enjoying a fine season in Buffalo before falling to injury. He may have lost a huge opportunity to play every day on the major league roster with the recent trade of Beltran, and injury to Murphy that has moved Duda to first base. Started 2011: Triple-A  Currently: out for season, shoulder surgery

8-21-11: - http://metsmerizedonline.com/2011/08/prospect-pulse-left-handed-hitters.html  - Kirk Nieuwenhuis - Captain Kirk, as he is affectionately known to Mets fans, was one of the “fast risers” in the Mets system before he injured the labrum of his non-throwing shoulder while making a diving catch in June. Before that he was considered the Mets best outfield prospect, and a borderline 5-tool guy. Some wondered whether his speed would be adequate for CF, and if he did have to move to a corner OF spot in the big leagues, would his power warrant playing in a power position such as RF? In 1500 lifetime minor league AB’s over four seasons, Captain Kirk has a slash line of .280/.354/.465. The key to his further development, once he recovers from surgery, is to cut down on his strikeouts. His lifetime K/BB ratio of 388/159 indicates just how far he needs to go. Chances are, a strong start to 2012, and he could be called up to the big club by mid-season.

8-23-11: - #24: -     OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis – David Rubin continues to bust my banana over the lack of respect I give Captain Kirk. Look, I gave the same amount of skepticism to Lucas Duda because I just didn’t see either of these guys projected as a starting outfield in the majors. I love Kirk’s bat almost as much as I love Duda’s swing, but he simply needs more time to cut down on his strikeouts and work on his defense. Now, with injury, and right field being given to Lucas, you have to wonder if Nieuwenhuis will ever be given that chance. He’ll play Buffalo again in 2012 with a definite September call-up. ETA: 4th outfielder in 2013.

9-3-11: - http://metsmerizedonline.com/2011/09/prospect-pulse-buffalo-2012-help-on-the-way.html  - Kirk Nieuwenhuis - Captain Kirk returns from labrum surgery on his left shoulder, hopefully doesn’t miss a beat, and picks up right where he left off before his injury last May. The hope is that since the injury was to his non-throwing shoulder that his return will be sooner rather than later. At the time he went down he was the best player on the Buffalo squad, hitting .298, with a .908 OPS. His task at the time was to cut down on his strikeouts, and as soon as he makes progress in that regard he will be ready for prime time.

9-17-11: - Kirk Nieuwenhuis (Mets third-round pick in 2008): Nieuwenhuis was tearing through the International League for Triple-A Buffalo this spring when he was lost for the second half of the season with a shoulder injury. Like Havens, expect the center fielder to be kept, and possibly have a shot at winning a starting job for the Mets next season. Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/mets/yankees_mets_must_make_key_decisions_5aKoxsOfZQzXf4dhd226oK#ixzz1YEsKcto8

10-10-11: - https://mail.google.com/mail/?shva=1#inbox/132edccbf718965f - Top five Met prospects -  Sunday, October 9, 2011 - The Record - 5. Kirk Nieuwenhuis, CF, 24 (.908 OPS in 53 games for Class AAA Buffalo): Likely would have gotten a good look in September, but a shoulder injury limited him to just 53 games and ended his season in June. Projections put him in a corner spot rather than center field.

1-3-12 - http://mets360.com/?p=8885&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mets360%2Ffeed+%28Mets360+Feed%29  - 5. Kirk Nieuwenhuis, OF, Triple-A, .298/.403/.505 in 221 PA - The only thing that held back Nieuwenhuis last year was an injured shoulder. Otherwise, he would have made his major league debut and would be a front runner for a backup outfield position in the majors in 2012. Now, Nieuwenhuis will likely return to Triple-A to prove he is healthy. The strikeouts are a concern and he’ll obviously never post a .407 BABIP in a full season in the majors. But all he’s done in his professional career is produce. Several years ago I compared him to Nate McLouth and I still think that holds. A .250/.350/.450 line seems attainable and that’s pretty valuable for a CF. Of course, Nieuwenhuis is probably better suited for a corner, which makes the McLouth comparison even better.

1-10-12 - http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/top-15-prospects-new-york-mets/  9. Kirk Nieuwenhuis, OF

 BORN: Aug. 7, 1987

 EXPERIENCE: 4 seasons

 ACQUIRED: 2008 3rd round, Azusa Pacific University

 2010-11 TOP 10 RANKING: 2nd

SCOUTING REPORT: Nieuwenhuis has done nothing but hit since being discovered and drafted by the Mets out of a small college. The same concerns continue to follow him, though, as he ascends through the minor league system: He lacks the range to play center field everyday and he lacks the power profile expected from a corner outfielder.

YEAR IN REVIEW: It was expected that Nieuwenhuis would make his MLB debut in 2011 and he got off to a fast start to the season by posting a .908 OPS in triple-A through the beginning of June but shoulder surgery wiped out the remainder of his season.

YEAR AHEAD: The young outfielder may not be fully recovered from his shoulder surgery when spring training roles around so he could get a late start to the season. With the organization lacking outfield depth, though, Nieuwenhuis could see significant playing time in New York as soon as he’s deemed healthy and in game shape.

CAREER OUTLOOK: Because Nieuwenhuis hits right-handed pitching much better than southpaws, he’s probably ticketed for a career as a platoon or bench player. With that said, and with some further development, he could spend a few years playing regularly for a second-division club.

1-8-11: - http://nybaseballdigest.com/2012/01/07/most-intriguing-mets-prospects-in-2012/   3) Kirk Nieuwenhuis  (OF) Another guy that, if not for injury, would likely be penciled in to start in center field for the Mets to open 2012. Had shoulder surgery on his non-throwing shoulder. Average tools across the board. Could be a 15HR/15SB type talent. If healthy, should be in Queens around mid-season.