8
2011
Brandon Nimmo’s Exclusive Interview With MMO – The Future Looks Bright
An article by 
As our Mets Minor League expert Petey Pete unveils Brandon Nimmo at No. 5 in our 2012 MMO Top 20 Prospects, here’s an interview Joe Spector did with Nimmo in October. Enjoy the read, Mets fans! – Joe D.
In his first year as General Manager of the New York Mets Sandy Alderson and his team of baseball executives led by Paul DePodesta, the Mets vice-president of player development and scouting entered the 2011 Draft with one purpose in mind – to draft the best player available.
They’ve abandoned the previous administration’s track record of drafting players a bit more prepared. Doing so would put them at risk of paying overslot for a draft pick. Instead they gravitated towards drafting players with a high ceiling and when the Mets decided on the 13th draft pick, they chose Wyoming native Brandon Nimmo.
A 6 foot 2 outfielder who bats left-handed and throws right handed, Nimmo was drafted right out of high school. Ironically his high school has never had a baseball team, as do all high schools in Wyoming. Considering the frigid winters in Wyoming it’s hard to imagine anyone bearing below zero temps while taking a hard cutter on the hands – with an aluminum bat no less. He did however play American Legion ball; 76 games where he hit a torrid .448 with 15 homeruns and stealing 34 bases without being caught. His raw talent is what caught the organization’s attention.
“We weren’t interested in making the safest pick,” DePodesta said moments after selecting Nimmo with the 13th overall pick. “We were interested in the pick that could have the most impact.”
Baseball America ranked Brandon the second best high school athlete in the 2011 draft and as the second best pure high school hitter. Some scouts have compared him to Paul O’Neill and Rocco Baldelli, but like most comparisons, they never do justice to the person being compared.
I had a chance to ask Brandon a few questions now that he’s officially a member of the New York Met organization. I wanted to keep it as lighthearted as I could and I think he appreciated it, or tolerated it? One never knows for sure. Either way I thank him for his time.
Joe Spector: Brandon, did you always believe that you’d be playing professional baseball someday?
Brandon Nimmo: No I didn’t. It started out as trying to get my college education paid for and it escalated into what it is now. I always wanted to play professional baseball though.
JS: Try to describe how you were feeling when you received the call that the New York Mets drafted you.
BN: Well, I found out like everyone else did…on TV and I was just as surprised as everyone else. When I heard my name get called everyone in the room went ecstatic – they were jumping, yelling and it felt like you just won the biggest game in your life. There is no feeling like it.
JS: How has the transition from aluminum bats to wood been for you? What are the biggest differences for you?
BN: The transition wasn’t too tough for me because I’ve been using wood much more through the years. I would take everything with wood until the start of the games then use the aluminum bats. Towards the end, the metal bats actually became foreign to me. The biggest difference is of course the pop of the bat as the balls obviously don’t go as far. The other challenge for me was to get used to how wood bats are balanced as compared to aluminum.
JS: Who are some of the players you’ve emulated or enjoyed watching as you’ve grown up? And what outfield position are you most comfortable with?
BN: I’m most comfortable in Centerfield. As to my favorite players, Troy Tulowitski was always a favorite of mine growing up along with Todd Helton, since I grew up near the Rockies. I always liked Ken Griffey Jr. as well and I have gotten to know David Wright better since I’ve been a part of the organization. He’s a great guy and an even better player.
JS: There’s a dream that any kid who’s played baseball has had and it’s the moment they see themselves on a baseball card. How exciting will it be to see yourself on a baseball card?
BN: Well fortunately enough I’ve already seen myself on a baseball card and I just finished signing some before this interview. All I can tell you is having your own baseball card is very surreal. It just solidifies that you actually are a professional and that all of this isn’t a dream.
JS: Major League Baseball teams today tend to have an overall team philosophy starting from Rookie ball on up. Can you describe how the Mets philosophy was explained to you?
BN: The Mets philosophy is to play fundamental baseball. Expect mistakes to be made by the other team (especially baserunning). Hone your strike zone recognition skills and do all of this at 100%. I’m still learning all the time but I’m giving it my best effort every time.
JS: Alright Brandon time to jump off subject here and get serious. If you could be a celebrity for one day who would you be and why?
BN: Oh holy cow…I have never thought about that! This is actually the question that took the longest for me to answer if you can believe that! I would have to go with Dierks Bentley. I would love to have a voice like that and be as musically talented as he is. Plus all the girls love him!
JS: Hey I can’t argue with that. Chicks dig a good voice and the longball. What are some of your favorite movies and I have to ask or I wouldn’t be doing due diligence…Jersey Shore…yay or nay?
BN: I’m a big comedy guy. Anything that makes me laugh I like. Some of my favorites are: The Emperor’s New Groove, Tommy Boy, Anchorman, Dumb and Dumber, The Rookie, Forrest Gump, The Harry Potter movies, Lord of the Rings, Gladiator and Troy. As to Jersey Shore would you believe I’ve never seen it! I know there’s actually a teen that hasn’t seen Jersey Shore, unreal but true!
I just want to thank Brandon again for taking the time to do this. It’s funny, as a fan we tend to put professional players on such a high pedestal that we tend to forget that they’re just like the rest of us in so many ways. Not to mention just how young some like Brandon are and what an amazing road he’s undertaking. I’m sure he’ll be inundated with advice along the way. I think as long as he stays focused and remembers that ultimately he’s still playing the same game that he began playing in Wyoming; he should be quite all right. Here’s to seeing Mr. Nimmo patrolling Citifield in a few years.
Graphics by Kelly Designs.
About the Author: Joe Spector
I'm just your regular Joe. Staff writer @ Metsmerizedonline.com. Happily married and a father to a baby girl. I attended my first Met game at the ripe old age of 3 where my father scored a foul ball and had it signed by Lee Mazzilli, Joe Torre and Joe Pignataro. It was my Holy Grail - 'till I buried it in the backyard. I have my own website where you can read my drivel at your leisure @ www.thespectorsector.net
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WOW! Great interview Joe (Number 2). LOL x)
I enjoyed it. I see you guys get interviews. Sometimes i wish i can get one too. Someday….
Some scouts have compared him to Paul O’Neill and Rocco Baldelli”
so what are we getting a solid player, or garbage? great job by the scouts. i could’ve come up with a prediction just like that for free… amazing… see you in 2015 nimmo, IF you make it of course.
I’m sure I’ll probably regret leaving you this reply but for miracles’ sake: Scouts don’t typically compare young prospects to major leaguers based on their major league careers. Scouts draw comaprisons based on size, ability, raw skills. When a scout compares Nimmo to Rocco Baldelli, he is comparing him to Rocco Baldelli who was once considered the best prospect in all baseball, not the Baldelli who got injured and had his entire career derailed. Even if you look at Baldelli’s debut at 21 years old when he hit .289, 89 R, 78 RBI, 32 2B, 8 3B, 11 HR, 27 SB. Who wouldnt love a rookie year like that?
if it means he’ll do crap after that kinda like jason heyward, then no thank you… let’s wait for this kid to even hit more than 211 before we start talking about the future being bright, but of course, sandy alderson’s goon drafted him, that means i won’t be too high on this kid given depodesta horrible draft selection in the past..
44 professional AB’s isn’t anything to get your knickers all in a knot over one way or the other. He was basically just getting his feet wet so he could hit the ground running come March 2012 but if you have interest in hearing about a positive regarding Brandon Nimmo check this out:
The Gulf Coast Rookie League where he played last year the entire Met team in 2011 had 12 HR’s in 2117 AB’s. He has 2 HR’s in just 44 AB’s. As an 18 year old playing against mostly 19, 20 and 21 year olds.
Now team totals for HR in the GCRL are typically more like individual team highs for HR’s might be in the Majors, this year ranging from a high of 51 down to a low of 11 so there really aren’t a ton of HR’s hit down there so for an 18 year old to hit one every 22 AB’s while his team averages one every 176 AB’s is pretty encouraging especially considering they were his FIRST 44 AB’s………if your looking for the positive. If your looking for the negative the .211 BA in his first 44 professional AB’s will suffice.
i’m sure had he gone 22-44 people here would be building a staute.. double standard much???? i want the kid to do good, he’s a met, but the lovefest for this kid was pathetic and embarrasing, given the fact that kids like tejada, duda and hell even murphy were doing good AT THE BIG LEGUE LEVEL and yet they weren’t good and the braves prospects were better.
I don’t know why this comment was hidden. I opened it and there was no cussin’ or racist or other negative comments that you may not want to see (in my opinion). I enjoed the comment once it was opened (I didn’t say I agreed with it). This smacks of censorship.
just how the up and down thums work. Seems silly to me to even have them. Especially the way they get used on this site!
Anyone could make predictions like that for free, the chances of them having any relevancy coming from outside the business is pretty remote though.
Basically who gives a **** what a non scout thinks about a draft choice or a prospect.
wait a second. aren’t you one of those who based everything baseball america says about a player? isn’t that why you love the studs from atlanta?? because baseball america ranks them high??
Baseball America as well as others. They employ professional scouts and solicit input from other professional scouts in coming up with their rankings.
Minor league coaches too both about their kids as well as other kids they see in the league.
You don’t seem to be very bright.
“Winna’ winna’ chickin’ dinner.” (alright I know it’s lame but golly gee guys it’s gonna’ be a long off season!).
Nimmo or ticket prices, Nimmo or ticket prices? NIMMO!!!! Great interview and I look forward to watching him grow and eventually help the team.
2nd best athlete, 2nd best High School hitter. Unusual choice for the Mets. 2016 is the soonest he could be expected to get up here.
25, i said nimmo see you in 2015 and i got all dislikes from the sandy’s apologist..
First of all, you have no idea who hit dislike, so more of your fabrications.
Let’s say this guy doesn’t come up until 2015, do you not want a good team in 2015? You just can’t look beyond the tip of your nose can you.
What percentage picked in the draft, make it big the following year?
You keep saying you’ve been around for a long time, but you continue to contradict yourself with these childish remarks.
shut up!!!! can you stalked someone else!!! damn!!!!!!!!
1. No
2. Don’t flatter yourself
3. If you stop writing ignorant posts, I’ll stop replying.
He’ll never stop.It’s obvious he has an agenda.He and Omar fan are two peas in a pod.
well, that is exactly how the draft is supposed to work. this isn’t the NFL or NBA.
Guys breaking in this year should have been drafted 2-5 years ago (depending on college or HS signing, with IFAs on the longer side).
so a draft is not about helping that year or the next one. Just putting more prospects into the top of the hopper, to replace the ones “graduating” from the system.
so, you would expect guys drafted in 2007-2009 to be making the team next spring. And a HS kid drafted in 2011 to show up around 2015-16, unless he is really a prodigy and arrives at 20-21.
How you make this into some kind of negative or a slam against Alderson, I can’t figure out.
how the heck was this put into moderation?
He sounds like a great kid and bursting with enthusiasm. I’m not so worried about him as I am about some so-called Mets fans who seem to be rooting for his failure. How can you root for his or any kids failure and live with yourself? I hope they are not parents.
Ive also read where an American Legion coach who has coached both Nimmo and Harper,has compared them equally? I also am looking more forward to watching the kids play then the big team! I will be spending my money going to Binghamton, Buffalo and Brooklyn games for the next couple summers.
Me too, especially Brooklyn. Wish I lived closer to the other two. Any chance Nimmo goes to Brooklyn next season or too early for that?
if he has a big first 1/2 wherever they start him, certainly he could make an appearance.
Toby Hyde thinks Nimmo might start in Savannah
well if he does, than ending up in Brookly would be a very bad thing!
Savannah to start? would not have expected that. Brooklyn than a promotion? with St. Lucie hoped for in 2013 at some point, meaning you could start looking at Bingo by 2014 (unless he is really precocious!).
and I buyinto the idea that once you hit AA, anything can happen and quickly.
I am hoping that at some point this silliness between the pro and anti Alderson crowd will dwindle to an end. Reading these comments from alex is embarrassing as a Mets fan. He says there is a lovefest for Nimmo and insinuates it’s because Alderson drafted him. Guess what alex, you’re wrong. There is a lovefest for Matt Harvey and Jeurys Famila too and there should be for all of our prospects and it shouldn’t be based on who drafted them. When are you going to grow up already and stop creating issues that are not real or only in your distorted mind? If you have nothing good to say about any of our prospects then dont say anything. This is a site for Mets fans not Mets haters like you and your cohorts.
Good luck Brandon and dont worry, fans like alex are in the bottom 5% of the fan base, the other 95% are rooting for you!
Well said!
[...] Metsmerizedonline, Joe did an interview with Mets first rounder Brandon Nimmo. Matt asked me where I think the Mets [...]
spelt Tulowitzki wrong
tulo probably does it too on occasion.
Depodesta does the drafting. Alderson is a figurehead at best. Depodesta, nor Alderson, have drafted an MLB starter in ages. Not getting my hopes up high for an 18 year old kid who played on nothing more than a glorified travel team.
SMH @ hype.
It’d be really cool to engineer a trade that brought SF’s Gary Brown & Toronto’s prospect Marasnick to join Nimmo in the Met’s outfield. All 3 are speed-burners. Marasnick & Nimmo have power. Really like to see those three brought up together. Having a great outfield is a really cool thing.
Toronto’s prospect Jacob Marisnick:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=545350
Frisco’s farmhand Gary Brown:
http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/profile.asp?P=Gary-Brown-2
He’s got some pop, too!