Did you guys know there are still people who think New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo shouldn’t be an every-day player?

It’s true.

While I can see the flawed reasoning (just look at his batting average!), it’s a futile argument — especially when he’s healthy and at the top of his game.

The start of Nimmo’s 2019 campaign wasn’t exactly optimal, and then things compounded with him landing on the injured list.

He didn’t rejoin the club until rosters expanded last September and reminded us of the player who broke out in 2018 with 4.5 fWAR.

Our own Mathew Brownstein helped put his strong finish in perspective:

When it comes to compiling a hypothetical lineup for the upcoming season, Nimmo has mostly found his name nestled safely in the leadoff spot, and rightfully so.

He owns elite on-base skills — his .395 OBP since the start of 2018 ranks sixth in baseball among players with at least 500 plate appearances — are a spark plug this offense has needed for quite some time.

With guys who have a ton of power in the middle of the order, like Pete Alonso, Michael Conforto, and Yoenis Cespedes, it’s obviously crucial to have runners on base when they walk to the plate.

So, having Nimmo and Jeff McNeil setting the table in the top two lineup spots just seems like the most natural thing to do.

Upon looking at season-long team stats, the Mets’ offense took a significant step forward.

After ranking 19th with a 94 team wRC+ in 2018, that number jumped up to 104 this past season, good for the seventh best in baseball.

This positive regression happened for a number of reasons.

A full year of McNeil and breakouts from Amed Rosario and J.D. Davis are a couple of good ones, and the most obvious one being the historic rookie year Alonso put together.

If we single out September to see how the offense produced with Nimmo back in the fold and performing more in line with expectations, the Mets’ team wRC+ jumped up to 113.

That was the league’s third-highest mark behind the Houston Astros (134) and the Chicago White Sox (119).

New York also scored 140 runs in September, which was tied for the sixth most in baseball.

Nimmo did begin the season’s final month batting in the lower third of the order but was elevated back to his customary leadoff spot once the middle of September rolled around.

Having him healthy and productive at the top makes the Mets’ offense that much more deep and dynamic.

Plus, his presence can help make up for any potential negative regression Davis, Rosario, or any others might have in a shortened season.

One thing we’ve seen from Nimmo is that even when he’s slumping, his plate approach doesn’t suffer along with it.

That’s the kind of quality any manager wants in his leadoff hitter.

So, the Mets managed to be a top-10 offense without Nimmo in the lineup for nearly 100 games, and this was also accomplished without having Cespedes play any games as well.

It sounds like he’s finally healthy, hungry, and his swing is sending the same message to the rest of the league:

Hypothetically, I love the idea of Alonso and Cespedes forming a one-two punch in the middle.

Even with the shortened campaign, them as a duo could have the potential to make an impact like Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado did between 2006 and 2008.

I’d be OK with the below version of a Mets order, too, though.

Conforto in between Alonso and Cespedes breaks up the right-handed bats and Yo provides some ample lineup protection for Scooter.

However way you slice it, these three dudes are run producers and they’ll only be elite in that department if the opportunities are presented to them.

Having someone in the leadoff spot with an incredible ability to get on base, followed by someone who has a not-so-terribly-unrealistic shot at hitting .400 is the perfect way to set things up for the big boppers.

Similar to how Jacob deGrom is the guy who sets the expectation for the rest of the pitching staff, Nimmo does just that for the hitters who come after him.

His skills don’t belong on the bench — they belong on the field as many nights as he can handle.

If the Mets can play up to expectation over the next 60 games, their center fielder will likely be a crucial contributor to an above-average offense.