The Pittsburgh Pirates and the Mystery that is Jon Niese

Jon Niese has struggled with control throughout spring training. Can his track record of excellent ground ball rates counter the questions that swirl about his performance?

Though many Pittsburgh Pirates fans have (rightly) given their full attention to the eye-opening performance of Juan Nicasio this spring, there exists question marks greater than the ones swirling around the back-end of the rotation.

The unofficial “bridge” connecting the three back-end candidates to the workhorses in Gerrit Cole and Francisco Liriano may not be as structurally sound as many thought.

Yes, Jon Niese has looked rather shaky this spring. Pirates general manager Neal Huntington has already given the southpaw a vote of confidence.

Or did he?

In his recent comments to reporters, Huntington stated that while Ryan Vogelsong,  Jeff Locke, and Nicasio would compete for the final two spots in the rotation, Niese would open the year in the rotation. To be sure, this is no surprise, but it is easy to wonder if the wording by Huntington was deliberate. By all accounts, Niese has looked shaky.

As a pitcher that relies heavily on movement, spring training outings may carry a bit more weight than others. Niese has thrown strikes, with 27 of his 42 total game-environment pitches landing for strikes (Pirates City notwithstanding). For a pitcher of Niese’s ilk who does not pound the zone, that number may be a bit misleading.

I’ve previously taken a deep dive on what happens when his cutter isn’t working, and it’s fair to wonder if it’s failing him right now. The verdict may come after his next scheduled spring outing. While Ray Searage is well-known for allowing a pitcher to pitch unfettered by his tinkering while he strictly observes, the time has likely come for Searage to begin the refinement. And a refinement it will be – Niese still carries an excellent ground ball rate for his career and has the pitch selection to continue keeping the ball on the carpet.

With a rotation that will have serious question marks for the bulk of the 2016 season, the mystery of what Jon Niese can provide this club remains a hot one.

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