Ever since he was selected in the first round of the 2011 draft, fans have been waiting patiently for the arrival of Brandon Nimmo. While he’s made progress every season, he’s yet to have that big breakout that everyone has been hoping for. This has caused some to start to losing faith in the 22-year old outfielder, but this upcoming season is what will likely be a critical one in determining what his future role is with the organization.
Nimmo is coming off one of the worst statistical seasons of his career while playing for Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Las Vegas in 2015. He slashed .269/.362/.372 in 434 plate appearances with only five home runs and 16 doubles. His .734 OPS was his lowest mark in any minor league season, but it looked as if he started to figure things out towards the end of the year.
In August and September, he caught fire and posted an excellent .421 OBP and .873 OPS. He also homered during the last two games of the season while driving in three runs. This resurgence grabbed the attention of his coaches, who are still believers in his ability.
“I’ve seen this kid make some adjustments. So far, he’s responded real well to different suggestions,” Las Vegas manager Wally Backman said. “He struggled at first but we’ve seen some real improvement in the last few days. Brandon’s got a bright future ahead of him.” (Josh Jackson, Milb.com)
However, not everyone is as ecstatic about his late season production and his prospect status has taken a big hit. John Sickels of Minor League Ball says that he’s beginning to look more like a platoon player despite his ability to get on base. This has a lot to do with the fact that he has struggled immensely against lefties, but also because he has yet to hit for much power. Nimmo has just a .391 slugging percentage over his five minor league seasons.
Speaking to some scouts last week, Ken Davidoff of the New York Post wrote that Nimmo could wind up being an upgrade over Kirk Nieuwenhuis as a lefty-hitting outfielder in the system, but that there are serious doubts over whether he can become an everyday major leaguer.
The one thing to remember about Nimmo is that he’s no stranger to overcoming adversity. His high school did not have a baseball team, and he is one of the few players ever drafted from he state of Wyoming. Despite this, he became one of the nations’ top talents and was the 13 overall pick in the draft.
While it’s been a challenging road to get to this point, Nimmo says that his unique experience growing up has also helped him succeed and to remain focused.
“The advantages were I didn’t get burned out playing baseball,” said Nimmo, who was ranked No. 48 on Baseball America’s Midseason Top 50 Prospects list heading into last season. “I think that not being burned out on baseball has allowed me to really have no regrets about the business that I go and do each and every day, and I try to leave it all out on the field.” (Evan Korn, Newsday)
Looking ahead, Antony DiComo of MLB.com says it’s doubtful that Nimmo can make a major impact in the big leagues this season. It’s rare for a rookie to produce at the sensational level that Michael Conforto and Noah Syndergaard did last year, he writes, but could he be in line for a huge season in Las Vegas?
This might be the year where Nimmo finally puts it all together, especially if he could avoid the nagging injuries that have plagued him the past few years. He will play a full season in an extremely favorable hitting environment after spending so most of his time playing in extreme pitchers’ parks like those at Savannah and St.Lucie, which are notorious for suppressing power.
Nimmo has always had a great eye as well as a sound approach at the plate, which is proven by his career .381 OBP. Combine that with his athleticism and determination, and it’s easy to see why most people in the Mets’ organization are still so high on him and still believe he has a bright future ahead.
