The Sterling-Award winners in the Mets organization were in attendance Monday night to not only receive their awards, but also participate in batting practice and meet the team and front office. Brandon Nimmo was one of the attendees, who won the Sterling Award as the best player at Single-A St. Lucie Mets.
Nimmo played 62 games for St. Lucie, batting .322 with five triples and four home runs. The most impressive stat was his on-base-percentage, which was an incredible .448. His plate discipline can be credited for the 50 walks he drew. Additionally, Nimmo only made one error in 130 chances while playing mostly center field.
Made famous for being the guy who didn’t play high school baseball (he played American Legion Ball because his high school didn’t have a team), Nimmo impressed the Mets front office during batting practice on Monday.
“Did you see his batting practice today?” Sandy Alderson asked ESPN’s Adam Rubin and a group of reporters at Citi Field. “There was a lot more man there than there was a year and a half ago.”
Nimmo has filled out since being drafted in 2011. When he was drafted, he weighed 180 pounds. After an offseason of training with Andrew McCutchen at the IMG Academy in Florida, he now weighs in at 205 pounds.
In an interview with ESPN’s Adam Rubin, Nimmo said, “I do think the offseason and the training we put in and the nutrition, I think all of that came into what you saw this year, a little bit more power, a little bit more body control, (and) better swing. I am a lot stronger than I was a year ago. It’s helped me out a ton.”
The Mets are starting to feel good about Brandon Nimmo after facing early criticism for passing on the Marlins former Rookie of the Year Jose Fernandez to take Nimmo 13th overall. Nimmo’s progress this year will be a huge factor into Alderson’s offseason playbook in regards to bringing in an outfielder to play alongside Juan Lagares and Curtis Granderson.
Safe to say that Brandon Nimmo and Michael Conforto headline a strong crop of prospects waiting in the Mets’ pipeline.
