In this series leading up to the MLB Draft on July 17, we’ll look back at the background of some notable Mets picks prior to their big league arrival. We’ve covered three of the greatest players in franchise history along with a former No. 1 overall pick. For our final entry, we look at a player very much at the center of the current Mets and one who may be part of its long-term future.

To say he came from the middle of nowhere isn’t an exaggeration. Brandon Nimmo‘s initial claim to fame was being the only major leaguer to hail from Wyoming. Today, he’s All-Star caliber and a legitimate center fielder.

Ron Nimmo had a barn built with a batting cage on their six-acre property north of Cheyenne and threw pitches to his son. When he wasn’t in the cage, Brandon even did some bull riding.

It didn’t take long to discover that hitting and catching is a lot less difficult than rodeo—or at least a lot less dangerous.

After a few crashes, Nimmo ditched the bull to focus on baseball—even if he hasn’t necessarily been immune to injuries on the diamond.

He hurt his wrist in Single-A Savannah, was hampered by a knee injury while at Double-A Binghamton, and fouled a ball off his nose in batting practice in Triple-A Las Vegas—not to mention the ailments that have prevented him from full seasons in the big leagues.

But even playing baseball as a teenager had its challenges. Since Wyoming didn’t have high school baseball, Nimmo sharpened his skills on an American Legion team. The closest games were 45 minutes away from home. The farthest was 10 hours.

It was well worth the travel time. In 2010, playing just 70 games, Nimmo batted .448 with 15 homers and 34 steals. His value (not to mention his visibility) was furthered when he participated in the Under Armor All-America game at Wrigley Field, where he went 2-for-4 with a triple, a pair of RBIs, and two runs scored en route to being named co-MVP.

The Mets had seen enough and made him the thirteenth overall pick in the first round of the 2011 draft, making him the highest-selected Wyoming native in history.

“His makeup is more important than where he is actually from,” said Paul DePodesta, the Mets’ vice president for player personnel and amateur scouting at the time. “If you had any chance to interact with him, you can tell he’s not just some small-town kid.”

After a brief stint in the low minors, he spent the 2012 season with the Brooklyn Cyclones. He had a four-hit effort on July 30 and followed that with a six-RBI night on August 18 which included a grand slam. Nimmo produced the fourth-most doubles in the New York-Penn League that year and was fifth in runs batted in.

He advanced to the Savannah Sand Gnats and was the fourth-ranked prospect in the Mets system. A strong first half earned him a trip both to the South Atlantic League All-Star Game and the Futures Game held appropriately at Citi Field. The aforementioned wrist injury and a home ballpark that has a reputation for being a disadvantage for lefty hitters did a number on his statistics (he finished ’13 with 40 RBIs), but not on his progress. 

Nimmo was on the roster of the St. Lucie Mets at the beginning of the 2014 season and was one of their top performers. Now an All-Star of the Florida State League, he slashed .322/.448/.458 and ensured he wouldn’t be there for long. He was in Binghamton on June 19. Between the two teams, he had 10 homers and 51 RBIs for the year.

A little over a year later, he was a step away from the big leagues as the starting center fielder on the Las Vegas 51s. But he had not been the breakout player most wished for. In 2015, he did nothing to alleviate concerns. He was .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, despite a hot August and September. Over five minor league seasons, Nimmo’s slugging percentage was .391.

Some felt he was a platoon player, but his manager saw his potential up close.

“I’ve seen this kid make some adjustments. So far, he’s responded real well to different suggestions,” said then-Las Vegas manager Wally Backman. “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.”

Nimmo officially arrived to the Mets on June 26, 2016. The doubters persisted, but he’s been running from them ever since.