Pirates lefty Jon Niese relishing chance to start again

BRADENTON -- Jon Niese was caught in a whirlwind ride last fall. The New York Mets weren't a preseason favorite, yet they found themselves advancing right through October and into the World Series.

For Niese, though, he had to change roles at the end of the 2015 regular season before allowing just three earned runs in six postseason relief appearances.

"I would have loved to have started a few games in the postseason, but it is what it is," Niese said. "They needed a guy in the pen, and I stepped up to do it."

The Ohio native didn't get a championship ring because the Kansas City Royals won the Fall Classic. And when the offseason got going, Niese said the starting rotation still had some openings to fill.

But Niese wasn't returning to the Big Apple.

Instead, the Steel City became the new destination when the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Niese from the Mets via a trade that sent second baseman Neil Walker to New York.

"I was pretty surprised, but kind of happy I came here to a winning team and a team close to home," Niese said.

With his arrival also comes a spot in the Pirates' rotation, where he's expected to start alongside Gerrit Cole, Francisco Liriano, Ryan Vogelsong and Jeff Locke.

He'd make the third southpaw in the rotation.

"Sinks the ball extremely well, control the running game, experienced. Pretty good package. Like the package," Pirates' manager Clint Hurdle said. "Our ballpark, we've had some history transitioning in some left-handed pitchers. With the potential to have three of them in the rotation, yeah it was a good fit."

That fit includes his ability to induce ground balls. In his eight Major League Baseball seasons, Niese has tallied a 50 percent ground-ball rate.

And last year, he had a career-high 54.5 percent in that category.

"I love their philosophy," he said. "It's very important to get that first-pitch strike. Get (those) early outs, as early as possible. To get the early outs, you need to pitch to contact and that's what I like to do."

Niese spent his entire career with the Mets prior to

the trade.

That meant enduring a long rebuilding project that saw the resurgence hit all at once in 2015, even if it meant working out of the bullpen.

That was due, in part, to five of his final 11 starts yielding five or more earned runs.

"There was a three-game stretch and then all of a sudden that one pitch, I'd give up a three-run homer and that would ruin my outing," Niese said. "There were a few games like that where that kind of inflated my ERA. And I think that's what made them make the decision to put me into the pen. I can eliminate the mistakes this year."

But going to the National League Central Division, Niese is getting the chance to start again.

It's something Niese said he feels the most comfortable.

Going to a team that won 98 games en route to a third consecutive playoff appearance has to feel comfortable, too.

"I want to win, so I'm going to do everything I can to win," Niese said.

Jason Dill, sports reporter, can be reached at 745-7017 or via email at jdill@bradenton.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jason_Dill and like his Facebook page at Jason Dill Bradenton Herald.

This story was originally published February 22, 2016 at 11:27 PM with the headline "Pirates lefty Jon Niese relishing chance to start again ."