Jim Bowden of The Athletic earlier this week, released his list of spring training performances to believe and disbelieve.
One of the players included was Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo, who Bowden said doesn’t have the skill set to be an everyday major leaguer and is best suited as a fourth or fifth outfielder.
Nimmo is off to a fast start this spring, going 10-for-29 with eight runs scored, two home runs and six runs batted in. That has some Mets fans excited that he might finally live up to his billing when the Mets selected him 13th overall in the 2011 Draft.
“There is no doubt that Nimmo has a sweet swing, which he has displayed this spring,” Bowden also said.
“However, he still doesn’t have enough power or speed to be an everyday player in the major leagues. His best fit is as a fourth or fifth outfielder who can play all three positions. However well he performs or doesn’t in spring training won’t change his short- or long-term role with the Mets.”
Sure, that makes sense. But he is not being sold as an everyday player, at least in the long term. Nimmo will start the year platooning with Juan Lagares in center field (unless of course the latter is traded), but regardless, will be relegated to a bench role once Michael Conforto returns from injury.
Being a fourth or fifth outfielder isn’t a bad thing, though. Nimmo has shown over two seasons with the Mets that he has a knack for getting on-base (.367 OBP over 295 plate appearances) which would play very well off the bench in 2018 for Mickey Callaway and the Mets.
Interestingly enough, FanGraphs believes the young Wyoming native can eventually be more than just a reserve player.
“Though he’s probably not going to BABIP .360 for a third straight season, he could still develop into an OBP machine if he maintains his 15 percent walk rate while cutting down on the strikeouts a bit,” they wrote. “Nimmo has a little power, as well, though his above-average exit velocity (88.8 mph last year) hasn’t translated into impressive HR totals yet (12.8 percent HR/FB, compared to a league average of 13.7 percent).”
He’s also not a liability in the field, logging a 1.1 UZR and -1 defensive runs saved in just over 530 career big league innings.
At the end of the day, Bowden and The Athletic are not telling fans anything we didn’t already know about Brandon Nimmo. For now he is fourth or fifth on the outfield depth chart when everyone is healthy regardless. However, he’s still valuable to this team and his strong spring is a good sign going forward. Nimmo will receive plenty of playing time season and gives the Mets a deep bench. And hey, if he blossoms into something more, it would be a welcomed surprise.
