"Ceiling is probably more of a No. 2-type."- AL Scout about Niese

[Claymation]

However, Niese paid for poor location, he said, that he wasn’t about to get away with against the likes of Miguel Cabrera, Pablo Sandoval, and Carlos Gonzalez, among others.

Afterward, John Buck, new to catching Niese, said he sees the potential for Niese to dominate lineups with his combination of fastball, curve, cutter and changeup.

“He’s got the pitches,” said Buck. “It’s just a matter of being more consistent with his good stuff.”

Thus the question that surrounds the 26-year-old Niese: Is he on the verge of stardom or more likely to stall in the good-but-not-great category?

Niese was younger and cheaper, under control at a reasonable cost for six more seasons, including the option years on his contract. That made him valuable to the Mets, but other teams as well, and some within the organization believe he could have been traded for a package of highly acclaimed prospects similar to what GM Sandy Alderson got for Dickey.

Outside the organization that sentiment isn’t necessarily shared. “Our scouts like Niese a lot,” said an AL GM on Wednesday, “but I wouldn’t have given up as much as Toronto did for Dickey. They took a shot because they believe in Dickey as a No. 1 starter who can put them over the top. As much as I like Niese, I think his ceiling is probably more of a No. 2-type. He’s not there yet, but he’s got the stuff that makes you think he can get there.”

The Mets would be thrilled if Niese raises his game to that level, especially since, in Harvey and Zack Wheeler, they believe their have their No. 1 and 1A for years to come. As it is, Niese should be a nice complement to those two hard-throwing righthanders. He’ll be the only lefty in the mix after Santana is gone, and he has already shown the capability to dominate when he’s got his best stuff. He took a step toward that next level in 2012, lowering his ERA by a run to 3.40 while throwing a career-high 190 innings, to go with a 13-9 record.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/ba...#ixzz2MsGUzgwg

[YoungStuna28]

I hope so. If he can have a 3.30-3.60 ERA every year, I will take that though.

[NYCkid12]

I tend to agree...even if he is a top tier number 3 starter borderline 2...I wouldn't mind that

[kyubi256]

I think if he can harness his control and stuff he would be incredible here. I'm excited that we kept Niese

[ambisme56]

I see him as a Cole Hamels type player eventually wiithin the next year or 2...Can carry your team at times but most times a very solid #2....But he will eventually be our number 3 starter behing Wheeler and Harvey. So having Niese as your 3rd starter is very very nice.

2014 Project Starters:
Wheeler (L)
Harvey (R)
Niese (L)
4th...maybe Syndergaard (R) coming up in June/July of 2014. Veteran to start the season like a Marcum.
Gee (R)

[rebuilding]

I see him as a Cole Hamels type player eventually wiithin the next year or 2...Can carry your team at times but most times a very solid #2....But he will eventually be our number 3 starter behing Wheeler and Harvey. So having Niese as your 3rd starter is very very nice.

2014 Project Starters:
Wheeler (L)
Harvey (R)
Niese (L)
4th...maybe Syndergaard (R) coming up in June/July of 2014. Veteran to start the season like a Marcum.
Gee (R)

Hamels is a bonafide ace

[Claymation]

I see him as a Cole Hamels type player eventually wiithin the next year or 2...Can carry your team at times but most times a very solid #2....But he will eventually be our number 3 starter behing Wheeler and Harvey. So having Niese as your 3rd starter is very very nice.

2014 Project Starters:
Wheeler (L)
Harvey (R)
Niese (L)
4th...maybe Syndergaard (R) coming up in June/July of 2014. Veteran to start the season like a Marcum.
Gee (R)

Wheeler is a righty.

[kyubi256]

Cole Hamels is an ace, bonafide top 15 in the MLB type ace.

[GottaBelieve]

I have a feeling Niese is going to be a lot like the Ron Darling (pardon the 1986 reference) of this era.

He may not be the star or the glamorous ace, but I see years of consistent, above average pitching coming from this guy.

I expect him to become a solid 2/3 anchor for the next 5 years.

[BradHolt4CYoung]

Who would view the scouts opinion as a surprise? I think the great majority of people always viewed Niese as a solid 2/3 starter.

[KnIckFaN.2883]

^agree

[rdg515]

The reason they traded Dickey and not Niese is that Niese is the future and unless we suddenly get two more blue chip lefty starters with that #11 pick and in round 2 he will be the only lefty barring a major trade or signing. We could have traded Niese for Wil Myers but solid lefties are rare commodities. The nice thing is that after Wheeler and Harvey and Niese we should see Syndergaard but also have Montero, Mateo, Fullmer and a few other talents right behind in the rankings. The day that Duda, Murphy and Gee are gone is the day we win the NL East because it means we have been able to upgrade the last three positions on the field where good is no longer good enough.

[KingsnQueens7]

Niese - qualty left handed pitcher, leave it at that. Not the staff ace but easily a number 2 or 3 guy that can come in, pitch a solid game, and win.

[cambovenzi]

Yeah Niese hopefully being a good #2-ish starting pitcher has been a general consensus for years now.
I'm fairly happy with what we have gotten out of him lately and hopefully he continues to be a solid pitcher for us.

[metswon69]

If Niese continues to grow with his cutter and finds a way to use his changeup more effectively there is no reason why he can't be a number 2.

Lefties in general usually take longer to develop and this is only Niese's 4th full year as a SP.

There is still room for improvement at 26 years old.