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Kirk Nieuwenhuis

Frayed Knot Aug 21 2009 01:13 PM

A 2008 3rd round pick, Kirk shows up as #2 on this week 'Hot Sheet' feature in BA. Weeks with 9 XBHs and 13 RBIs do tend to make folks sit up and take notice: Team: high Class A St. Lucie (Florida State) Age: 22 Why He's Here: .355/.444/1.000 (11-for-31), 5 HR, 3 2B, 1 3B, 13 RBIs, 8 R, 5 BB, 6 SO, 0-for-1 SB The Scoop: Sorry Kirk, but we just blew the lid off your stealth campaign in the Florida State League. Only a five-homer showing by Brett Wallace in Triple-A stood in the way of a No. 1 ranking. Batting .259/.346/.441 with 15 homers, 27 doubles, 64 RBIs and 16 steals (in 20 attempts), Nieuwenhuis leads the FSL in home runs, extra-base hits (46) and runs scored (81). And he's just four off the leaders for RBIs and doubles. Don't be fooled by that age; the physical, lefty-swinging Nieuwenhuis celebrated a birthday two weeks ago and actually spent most of the season as a 21-year-old. An '08 third-round pick, he skipped right over low Class A on his way from NAIA Azusa Pacific (Calif.) to the FSL this season. It's hard to argue with the results.

Benjamin Grimm Aug 21 2009 01:17 PM

I was going to comment on his age. At 22, is he older than most of the rest of the FSL? (I'm not saying he is, I'm just asking.) If he is, that could make his numbers a little less impressive.

Frayed Knot Aug 21 2009 01:25 PM

Not a lot older - maybe on the high side of average. The FSL (and other High-A leagues) are frequent stops off for 1st year college draftees and 2nd year non-elite ones. Plus - as they mention - he just turned 22 and so this season would be counted as his 'age 21' year in a lot of places (a July 1st cut-off is often used). Also remember that the FSL is a notorious pitcher-friendly league, so maybe that tweaks the numbers slightly more in his favor.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Aug 21 2009 02:34 PM

OK, so if you know so much, pronounce his last name. I also understand he plays CF, so all the better if he has the goods defensively.

Frayed Knot Aug 21 2009 02:51 PM

Nieu is probably Dutch and essentially pronounced New (and means 'New' I believe) So I'm going with NEW-en-Hice Or we can just gringo it and call him Newhouse And, yes, he is a legit CF from what I understand.

Frayed Knot Aug 21 2009 08:22 PM

Just for kicks I looked up a couple of guys who I knew were college draftees to see what age they were when playing in High-A ball. No real method here, just the first few guys that jumped into my head: Teixeira - was 21 y/o the whole season playing at A+ ball, or just about 1/2 season younger than Nieuwenhuis Pedroia - turned 21 during his year, or almost a full year younger Chase Utley was 22 the entire season, ~ 1/2 year older Jacoby Ellsbury - turned 23 mid-year ~ 1 year older Ryan Howard - 23 the whole season, ~ 1-1/2 years older Kevin Youkilis - 23 also, ~ 1-1/2 years older than Nieuwenhuis Three of those guys were 1st round picks: Teixeira (5th overall), Utley (15th), and Ellsbury (23rd). One was 2nd round - Pedroia Nieuwenhuis was 3rd round Howard was 5th - Youkilis was 8th

MFS62 Aug 25 2009 08:52 AM

Month of Aug: .340/.404/.681/.1085, 6 HR, 10 2B, 2 3B, 9 BB/16K, 94 AB's 2nd Half........: .287/.363/.493/.856 in 223 ABs Kirk is 2nd in the FSL w/ a .465 SLG pct. (.7 behind the leader, M. Rizzotti)... 4th in hits, 1st in XBH's, 1st in Runs, 1st in 2B's, 4th in OPS, 8th in BB's... and moving up w/ a bullet. Later

Frayed Knot Aug 31 2009 07:33 PM

Two weeks in a row as #2 on BA's 'Hot List' for Kirk Nieuwenhuis -- including a pronunciation lesson Why He's Here: .444/.500/.815 (12-for-27), 1 HR, 5 2B, 1 3B, 4 RBIs, 5 R, 3 BB, 6 SO The Scoop: Pronounced NEW-en-hice, the Mets' 6-foot-3 center field prospect has been just short of unstoppable in August. He's gone 34-for-101 (.337) with 18 extra-base hits (six homers) and a 10-to-19 walk-to-strikeout ratio in 24 games. Florida State League MVP voters probably will look elsewhere because of Nieuwenhuis' .270 average and 113 strikeouts, but the '08 third-round pick leads the circuit with 32 doubles, 86 runs scored 53 extra-base hits. A strong finish could result in the home run and slugging crowns, too. Not much has gone right for the Mets this season, but the development of Nieuwenhuis, who projects to be an average center fielder, has been a pleasant surprise

MFS62 Aug 31 2009 09:26 PM

Promoted to Binghamton, started tonight and got 3 hits. Later

MFS62 Sep 02 2009 05:54 PM Re: Kirk Nieuwenhuis

Hit his first AA dinger tonight. You go, kid. Later

Edgy MD Sep 02 2009 06:47 PM Re: Kirk Nieuwenhuis

Good for a spring training invite, anyhow.

MFS62 Sep 02 2009 09:43 PM Re: Kirk Nieuwenhuis

He finished the night with 4-5, including 2 doubles and the dinger. Later

Frayed Knot Sep 04 2009 12:18 PM Re: Kirk Nieuwenhuis

3rd week in a row on BA's 'Hot Sheet' (#4 this time) Also a note in there on a small swing change that might have triggered his recent hitting surge. (plus this gives me a chance to experiment with the new color system) Why He's Here: =#BF0000].452/.514/.774 (14-for-31), 5 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 5 RBIs, 4 BB, 10 SO, 1-for-1 SB The Scoop: =#BF0000]Nieuwenhuis has to be upset that the season is ending, because at this rate of improvement, he'd be flirting with hitting .400 by mid-November. He was plugging along with a solid but unspectacular season until August arrived. Since then, he's hit .363 with 15 doubles, three triples and eight home runs—he had 10 home runs heading into August. What's the explanation? One possible reason for the hot streak is a new approach. Nieuwenhuis had showed opposite-field power early in the season, but he was vulnerable to being pitching inside. But the St. Lucie staff worked on cleaning up his swing. Now he's able to turn on inside fastballs, taking a vulnerability and turning it into a strength.

Edgy MD Sep 04 2009 12:35 PM Re: Kirk Nieuwenhuis

Seems like a good candidate for the Arizona Fall League.

MFS62 Sep 04 2009 12:43 PM Re: Kirk Nieuwenhuis

At this rate of improvement, he seems a good candidate for the HOF. Later

Frayed Knot Sep 11 2009 12:12 PM Re: Kirk Nieuwenhuis

And Kirk Nieuenhuis gets on the year-end 'Hot Sheet' list as part of their fast-risers entry: 'The Helium Watch' Age: 22 Why He's Here: .282/.364/.479 (145-for-514), 17 HR, 38 2B, 6 3B, 73 RBIs, 99 R, 57 BB, 127 SO, 17-for-22 SB The Scoop: After hitting a combined three home runs in June and July, Nieuwenhuis began pulling the ball for power in August. The results: he batted .345/.406/.647 with six homers and 13 doubles in 27 games, earning a promotion to Double-A for the final week. Had it not been for this offensive explosion, Nieuwenhuis would likely still be regarded as an obscure '08 third-rounder with a hard-to-pronounce name. (Kirk's father assures us it's NEW-en-hice.) But that assault on Florida State League pitching catapulted him to a No. 1 ranking among league batters in doubles (35), slugging (.467), extra-base hits (56) and runs scored (91). He finished third with 16 home runs. A physical, lefty-swinging center fielder, Nieuwenhuis will have to reign in the strikeouts as he advances, but it's an encouraging full-season debut for an NAIA product who bypassed low Class A.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jan 07 2010 04:13 PM Re: Kirk Nieuwenhuis

A brilliant breakdown of defensive stats-- and their collection-- in regards to the disconnect over Kirk's defensive skills between different metrics/observers, by Amazin' Avenue's Mark Himmelstein. Engrossing.

MFS62 Jan 08 2010 07:40 AM Re: Kirk Nieuwenhuis

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: A brilliant breakdown of defensive stats-- and their collection-- in regards to the disconnect over Kirk's defensive skills between different metrics/observers, by Amazin' Avenue's Mark Himmelstein. Engrossing. That should be kept as a permanent link. I have a feeling it can be re-used in every future discussion of scouts' observations VS stats. Good find. Later

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jan 08 2010 08:42 AM Re: Kirk Nieuwenhuis

MFS62 wrote: LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: A brilliant breakdown of defensive stats-- and their collection-- in regards to the disconnect over Kirk's defensive skills between different metrics/observers, by Amazin' Avenue's Mark Himmelstein. Engrossing. That should be kept as a permanent link. I have a feeling it can be re-used in every future discussion of scouts' observations VS stats. Good find. If you're looking for something beyond "that guy reminds me of Eric Byrnes if Eric Byrnes had wheels for feet"-type anecdotal reports on minor-leaguers' defense, Total Zone's pretty much the alpha-and-omega. It's amazing how much one simple probe can illuminate it so brightly. After years of merely looking at the Mets via a BA-and-Fangraphs-stat prism, AA's been doing some kick-ass stat analysis work themselves of late.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Jan 08 2010 09:31 AM Re: Kirk Nieuwenhuis

You'd figure though with a guy still a few seasons away from any shot at being a ML player, any analysis done now will be hopelessly outdated when it really counts. I'd hate to see the Metelligensia (what?) settle on an opinion of guys while they're still in Class A.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jan 08 2010 10:40 AM Re: Kirk Nieuwenhuis

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: You'd figure though with a guy still a few seasons away from any shot at being a ML player, any analysis done now will be hopelessly outdated when it really counts. I'd hate to see the Metelligensia (what?) settle on an opinion of guys while they're still in Class A. Outdated, yes, if you're looking for a numerical snapshot of the player as he currently is. But if you're looking for signs of progression-- and projection's all about sussing out improvement, right?-- then slices of what he was like at varying stages are most definitely worth soaking in, no?

John Cougar Lunchbucket Jan 08 2010 11:03 AM Re: Kirk Nieuwenhuis

Well, sure. Then again if/when he goes out and hits .220 against AA pitching it won't matter if his Total Zone rating looks better than Laura Linney's butt.

Edgy MD Jan 08 2010 11:09 AM Re: Kirk Nieuwenhuis

Even all drapey?

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jan 08 2010 11:29 AM Re: Kirk Nieuwenhuis

The most eye-opening part for me was this bit, borrowed from Sean Smith's Hardball Times article on how TZ translates to the minors: For infielders, players perform worse, relative to the league, as they move up in levels. In other words, major league third basemen are better fielders than Triple-A third basemen, who are in turn better than players in the lower minors. For outfielders, the picture is less clear. For center fielders, the relative performance is relatively flat. Give or take a run or two, the average center fielder in Low A is about as good as the average major league center fielder. For corner outfielders, it appears that the quality of fielding, by looking at players who move up in levels, is lower as you move up in level, with major leaguers being the worst! This was a bit hard for me to believe. There are some reasons that it could be possible—players lose speed relatively quickly, and outfield range is highly dependent on speed. Also, the lower levels of the minors use the DH in every game, which probably cuts down on the Adam Dunn and Pat Burrell types in minor league outfields. Another thing to consider is that players like Dunn were not the same lumbering plodders in the minors. At age 21, he was likely a good bit lighter on the scale and faster in the field. Major league outfielders, especially at the corners, are selected more for their bats than their gloves, and while having a lot of bulk muscle helps you hit for power, it does not help you chase down fly balls. If TZ correlates even moderately well with actual defensive prowess, then that's kind of revolutionary. While it doesn't tell you how he WILL do in the majors-- a lot can happen to a 21-year-old between here and there-- the defensive snapshot you get from TZ, implies Sean Smith, is reflective of his actual, major-league defensive value.

Edgy MD Jan 08 2010 11:37 AM Re: Kirk Nieuwenhuis

That's not particularly hard for me to believe. It's your tools that get you to A-Ball, but it's your bat, your bat, your bat that gets you to the bigs.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jan 08 2010 12:32 PM Re: Kirk Nieuwenhuis

Dirk Diggler concurs.

MFS62 Apr 10 2010 11:43 AM Re: Kirk Nieuwenhuis

Captain Kirk launches his first photon torpedo leading off the game today for Bingmanton. Reports I've read said he has pretty good power. If he's leading off, that Bingy team must be loaded. Later

Frayed Knot May 27 2010 06:56 AM Re: Kirk Nieuwenhuis

From Adam Rubin's blog: Outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis drew praise from a scout who recently watched Binghamton. The scout said Nieuwenhuis, a former running back in high school who was recruited to play college football, has the speed to play center field and the arm to play right field. While the lefty-hitting Nieuwenhuis remains susceptible to curveballs from right-handed pitchers, he’s otherwise closed up a major hole on inside pitches.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr May 27 2010 12:34 PM Re: Kirk Nieuwenhuis

YABBUT... while the slugging's stayed from last year's breakout, but the strike-zone maintenance, not so (.337 OBP, down from .348 and .364 in 2008/2009; a 4.7% BB rate; 9 BB to 47 K in just over 200 PAs).

MFS62 Jun 16 2010 09:57 AM Re: Kirk Nieuwenhuis

He injured his shoulder, and will be out for "a few weeks". Don't know how it happened or the specific nature of the injury. Later

MFS62 Aug 10 2010 09:54 AM Re: Kirk Nieuwenhuis

He's now up with Buffalo, and hitting .333. I listened to the wrap up/ highlights of the Buffalo game last night. Kirk's last RBI was a bases loaded walk. The AB before that, he hit a ball off the right field wall and got to second. It wasn't until I saw the box score this morning that I noticed that he was awarded a single. I guess the official scorer felt it made it to second on the throw home. That's what happens when you're on the road. You hit the ball off the freakin' wall and make it to second, it's a DOUBLE. Yer kid wuz robbed, FK, robbed! Later

Ceetar Mar 21 2011 08:12 PM Re: Kirk Nieuwenhuis

Year Age Tm G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB 2010 22 2 Teams 124 566 514 91 141 43 3 18 77 13 7 41 132 .274 .327 .475 .802 244 6 2 4 5 3 2010 22 Binghamton 94 433 394 81 114 35 2 16 60 13 7 30 93 .289 .337 .510 .847 201 5 1 3 5 0 2010 22 Buffalo 30 133 120 10 27 8 1 2 17 0 0 11 39 .225 .295 .358 .654 43 1 1 1 0 3 Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table Generated 3/21/2011. Update on Kirk. This is what he did last year. Didn't fare so well once promoted to Buffalo. Seeems to have made a bunch of errors. Seems likely that he'll start there this year, and he ate at Duffy's Thursday night after he got back from Fort Myers and the Red Sox.

Ceetar Apr 21 2011 09:40 AM Re: Kirk Nieuwenhuis

How does this work, does the lack of an adopted prefix mean he's available for me to raise?

Edgy MD Apr 21 2011 10:01 AM Re: Kirk Nieuwenhuis

Feel free to research him and post on him. The only real thing a thread-starter has is the responsilbility to research him and know him better than the rest of us.

Ceetar Apr 21 2011 10:08 AM Re: Kirk Nieuwenhuis

I didn't know if Knot was doing that or not or if he just tossed Nieuwy here for completenesses sake.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Apr 26 2011 11:31 AM Re: Kirk Nieuwenhuis

Absolutely destroying Intl Lg pitching so far, .344/.455/.609 // 1.064 (64 at bats) If I'm Angel Pagan, I'm hoping my owies heal up soon.

Edgy MD May 31 2011 08:23 AM Re: Kirk Nieuwenhuis

Kirk is day-to-day, recovering from the system shock of this heroic effort.

MFS62 Jul 20 2011 09:18 PM Re: Kirk Nieuwenhuis

As per ESPN.com: Buffalo center fielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis underwent season-ending shoulder surgery on his left, non-throwing shoulder to repair the labrum. Later

Edgy MD Jul 21 2011 05:46 AM Re: Kirk Nieuwenhuis

Strange stuff. After seemingly two months of therapy he could still barely lift his arm.