Kirk Nieuwenhuis

Kirk Nieuwenhuis

37-Year-Old OutfielderOF
 Free Agent  
2024 Fantasy Outlook
There was no outlook written for Kirk Nieuwenhuis in 2024. Check out the latest news below for more on his current fantasy value.
$Signed a minor-league contract with the Mariners in November of 2017. Released by the Mariners in August of 2018.
Heads to independent ranks
OFFree Agent  
March 19, 2019
Nieuwenhuis signed a contract Tuesday with the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, Jordan Lauterbach of Newsday reports.
ANALYSIS
Nieuwenhuis was either unable to receive or unwilling to accept a minor-league contract in free agency this winter after slashing .214/.336/.336 across 324 plate appearances at Triple-A Tacoma in the Seattle organization in 2018. The 31-year-old will look to keep his career alive in the independent ranks before perhaps resurfacing in affiliated ball later this season.
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2017
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Kirk Nieuwenhuis See More
NL FAAB Factor: Waiver Pickups of the Week
July 30, 2017
Jan Levine find all the waiver-wire options in the National League this week, including the impending callup of Mets prospect Amed Rosario.
NL FAAB Factor: Waiver Pickups of the Week
May 14, 2017
Jan Levine digs through the waiver wire to find the top players for NL squads this week, including Milwaukee's Junior Guerra, who is working his way back from an injury in his first start of the year.
NL FAAB Factor: Waiver Pickups of the Week
April 2, 2017
Jan Levine highlights players on the waiver wire who can help fantasy owners, like Arizona's Brandon Drury, who won the second base job in spring training.
The Z Files: Let Me Check My Schedule
September 8, 2016
Todd Zola dissects the remaining schedule for every major league team to find players to pick up down the stretch who could mean the difference between winning and losing your league.
Weekly Hitter Rankings: Minnesota Nice
August 27, 2016
Erik Siegrist breaks down his hitting rankings for the upcoming slate of games, highlighted by some attractive seven-game slates for the Twins, Cubs and White Sox.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
Injuries and poor play had prevented Nieuwenhuis from appearing in more than 91 games -- which came back in his rookie season -- prior to 2016, but he was able to stay relatively healthy for most of the season and appear in a career-high 125 games in his first year in Milwaukee. The results at the plate, however, were not much better as he continued to be virtually an automatic out against southpaws to the tune of a .135 average against lefties. While he was a bit better against right-handed pitching with 12 home runs and a .732 OPS, he still hit just .218 and struck out 116 times in 298 at-bats against righties. The 29-year-old provided solid defense and a decent OBP though, earning him a one-year deal over the offseason to stay with the Brewers. He could get some at-bats in a platoon role, but Nieuwenhuis will more likely occupy a reserve role to open up the season.
The Brewers claimed Nieuwenhuis off waivers in December as part of their 40-man roster makeover, in part because of his ability to handle center field. For his career, Nieuwenhuis has hit .245/.314/.423 (.737 OPS) against righties in the big leagues, while toting an OPS nearly 300 points lower against southpaws (.444). If he sticks around all season, the Brewers won't use him for more than a large platoon split, but Nieuwenhuis lacks the ceiling of Keon Broxton and prospect Brett Phillips, which may ultimately steer him into a traditional fourth outfielder role if he's on the Opening Day roster. Of course, he was let go twice by the Mets last season, so there is no guarantee that he'll have a roster spot all year for the rebuilding Brewers either, but a significant injury to Rymer Liriano in spring training has seemingly opened the door for Nieuwenhuis to get a look at least through April.
The Mets quickly signed Michael Cuddyer as a free agent in November, leaving two veterans with big contracts (Cuddyer and Curtis Granderson) to flank Gold Glove winner Juan Lagares in center field. Nieuwenhuis will battle for the Mets' fourth outfielder spot with Matt den Dekker in spring training, and both left-handed hitting outfielders will likely be limited to occasional work against right-handed pitching barring a couple of injuries to the starting trio. In back-to-back seasons in a limited role, Nieuwenhuis has shown an ability to take walks, which pushed his OBP to a career-best .346 in 2014. Over the past three seasons, Cuddyer has missed 206 out of a possible 486 games, which ultimately may pave the way for Nieuwenhuis to see stretches of increased playing time if he can outproduce den Dekker.
Nieuwenhuis opened the season in the majors, but was quickly sent down to Triple-A. He reeled off a hot streak in late May and early June to earn a promotion, but after a brief spurt in early July, he faded again and went back to Las Vegas at the end of the month. Nieuwenhuis' stats in the minors were nothing to behold, but he did improve his strikeout and contact rates. He could earn a reserve outfielder role in the spring, where he would be utilized as a platoon player against right-handed pitching. He continues to struggle with lefties and has a .229/.323/.354 line against them over the past three seasons in the minors.
Getting his first taste of the big leagues, Nieuwenhuis appeared to be slightly overmatched, delivering the highest strikeout percentage (31.2%) of his career and seeing a significant drop in his walk rate. Although he still projects as a fourth outfielder in the long run, Nieuwenhuis might be capable of winning the better share of a platoon in center field given the Mets' lack of alternatives currently in the mix. Check to make sure he's healthy this spring as his season ended with a torn plantar fascia in August after his demotion back to Triple-A.
Before suffering a torn labrum in his left shoulder on a swing in early June that ultimately sidelined him for the year, Nieuwenhuis was having a strong 2011 at Triple-A Buffalo, batting .298/.403/.505 in 221 plate appearances. Nieuwenhuis has the ability to spray line drives to all fields, but struggles against lefties and still has issues with plate discipline, seen in 59 strikeouts over 188 at-bats last season. His mid-level power/speed potential as a left-handed batter, plus his ability to play all three outfield positions means that he likely profiles as a fourth outfielder rather than a starting center fielder in the majors.
Nieuwenhuis, selected in the third round in 2008 out of Azusa Pacific, opened 2010 at Double-A Binghamton and continued his rapid rise, earning Eastern League All-Star honors while hitting .289 with 35 doubles, two triples, 16 home runs and 60 RBI to advance up to Triple-A Buffalo. His mediocre plate discipline caught up with him against advanced pitching as he struck out 39 times in 120 at-bats as a Bison after a 30:93 BB:K ratio for the B-Mets. Given his past performance, his power/speed potential as a left-handed batter, plus his ability to play all three outfield positions, he'll get more chances. However, he profiles more as a fourth outfielder than a strong regular.
More Fantasy News
Let go by Seattle
OFFree Agent  
August 2, 2018
Nieuwenhuis was released by the Mariners on Thursday.
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Hamstring healthy again
OFSeattle Mariners  
March 15, 2018
Nieuwenhuis (hamstring) went 0-for-1 in his return to action Wednesday.
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Expected back early next week
OFSeattle Mariners  
Hamstring
March 8, 2018
Nieuwenhuis (hamstring) should be ready for a return to action by early next week, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.
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Dealing with hamstring strain
OFSeattle Mariners  
Hamstring
March 5, 2018
Nieuwenhuis has a hamstring strain, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
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Inks minors pact with Mariners
OFSeattle Mariners  
November 14, 2017
Nieuwenhuis signed a minor-league deal with the Mariners, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation reports.
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