BRANDON NIMMO, OF
Player Data: Age: 30 (03/27/1993), B/T: L/R
Primary Stats: 152 G, 682 PA, 592 AB, .274/.363/.466/.829, 162 H, 24 HR, 68 RBI, 6 3B, 3 SB
Advanced Stats: 130 wRC+, 21.4% K%, 10.9% BB%, .324 BABIP, .355 xwOBA, 4.4 fWAR, 4.0 bWAR
2023 Salary: $18.25 million
Grade: A-
2023 Review
The New York Mets awarded Brandon Nimmo with an eight-year, $162 million contract following the 2022 season. Teams across the league had interest in the free agent at the time, but it always felt as if he would return to New York. In the first year of his new long-term deal, the team’s leadoff hitter appeared in a career-high 152 games in 2023. The center fielder has had his fair share of injuries since debuting for the Mets in 2016, but to his credit, those concerns seem to be behind him now. Nimmo has now played in at least 150 games for two straight seasons, which is certainly a great sign for the organization moving forward.
Like so many of his teammates, Nimmo had better numbers in the second half compared to the first half. Prior to the All-Star break, he slashed .266/.365/.442/.807 with 13 home runs, 41 runs batted in and 46 walks in 86 games. But as the season progressed, Nimmo took his game to another level. Over his final 64 games of the season, he slashed .284/.359/.500/.859 with 11 home runs, 27 runs batted in and 28 walks. Nimmo has always been a player who consistently gets on base, which continued for a large portion of 2023.
One of the most intriguing aspects of his campaign was the power he showcased. Nimmo has never been a home run hitter in the big leagues, but he was able to hit a career-high 24 home runs in 2023. His previous career-high was 17 back in 2018, and while he may have hit 16 in 2022, very few could have expected this significant increase from him. It will be interesting to see if Nimmo continues to be someone who can hit 20+ homer runs each and every season.
Nimmo has above-average speed, which is something he has shown in the field and even on the base paths. But even with bigger bases being implemented in 2023, he had just three stolen bases in six attempts. Nimmo has a total of 26 stolen bases as a big leaguer, and his career-high in one season was nine back in 2018. With guys like Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso hitting behind him, I think so many would like to see Nimmo test the opponent’s catcher every once in a while.
The 30-year-old has grown tremendously in his defense out in center field, but some metrics indicate that he took a minor step back this past season. According to Baseball Savant, Nimmo had six outs above average in 2022, which ranked him in the 90th percentile. In the following season, he had just one out above average, ranking him in the 72nd percentile. Nimmo’s arm strength ranked in the 40th percentile (on Baseball Savant) in 2023. While he has never been known for having a strong arm, he has drastically improved in his ability to track balls hit in the left-center gap or the right-center gap.
2024 Overview
Brandon Nimmo has been a strong contributor for the Mets over the last two seasons, and if he is able to remain on the field, the organization is expecting more of the same from him in 2024. He has developed into one of the most consistent leadoff hitters in all of baseball, making every pitcher work as hard as they can to get him out at the top of their order. Nimmo always has a great understanding of the strike zone, which makes him so difficult to attack.
Nimmo has been a big league player for the Mets since 2016. He is someone who leads by example, and if this organization wants to return to the postseason in 2024, Nimmo needs to be at his very best. If their center fielder performs like he has over the last 24 months, this team will be in great shape as they prepare for spring training.
