Niemann made his long-awaited Major League debut in April when Scott Kazmir and Matt Garza were on the disabled list. He made five appearances, including two starts, for the Rays before being sent back down to Durham. He stayed healthy enough to make 24 starts, going 9-5 with a 3.59 ERA and 4.44 tRA* to help lead the Bulls to the postseason. Injuries dimmed his star a bit, sure, but he was still one of the more effective starters on the circuit. Nearly shipped out at the trade deadline in July, he registered an 8.66 K/9, 3.38 BB/9 and 2.56 K/BB ratio in 133.0 innings pitched.

Niemann is a cheap bullpen candidate for the Rays headed into spring training. Many scouts feel that he is better suited in a starting role, though, since he takes a while to warm up and has a poor track record of holding on runners.