What kind of season will Jon Niese have? Read a season preview and provide your own projection.
Jon Niese is the pitcher version of Daniel Murphy. Both are average-ish, twenty-something Mets lifers who have been around since the Omar days and Mets' last winning season. However, Niese has been less durable than Murphy of late. He is a pitcher, after all. So projecting him for the pitcher equivalent of the 161 and 156 games Murphy has played over the last two seasons probably isn't reasonable.
Niese's peripherals took a bit of a slide last season as he battled a partial tear in his rotator cuff. It's worth noting that he looked better post-injury (3.73 K/BB, 3.00 ERA) than pre-injury (1.48 K/BB, 4.32 ERA). That information would be more encouraging if Niese didn't experience both shoulder and elbow discomfort during spring training. He is just 27 years old, though, and should be entering the prime of his career. I'm bullish on his performance but bearish on the number of innings he will pitch.
Post your Niese projection in the comments in the same format as below. I'll compare our projections to actual results at season's end.
IP: 161
ERA: 3.63
K: 130
BB: 48
HR:15