Brandon Nimmo is coming off an injury-plagued 2019 season that saw him appear in only 69 games due to a bulging cervical disk in his neck.
While Nimmo has admitted in the past that he will probably deal with this the remainder of his career, the left-handed hitter is optimistic about his ability to help the Mets in 2020.
“The goal is to be ready for every game that they call my number and I definitely can play 150 games and be a center fielder,” Nimmo said to Gary Apple of SNY. “But whenever they call my number, my goal this season is to be available.”
“I’m going to be trying to be ready and be playing center field,” the 26-year-old added. “That’s where they have me at now and working, but I can definitely do that and I feel like I’m more than capable.”
After a year he struggled to stay on the field, that’s a pretty hefty goal to have for himself, but being healthy really is the key for Nimmo.
Once he returned in September last season, Nimmo seemed to play at the high level Mets fans were accustomed to seeing as he hit .261/.430/.565 with five home runs and 15 RBI to give himself a 159 wRC+ over that span.
Defensively, Nimmo didn’t rate too greatly in terms of DRS (-2) and UZR (-1.5) over 282 1/3 innings there last season, but he did actually rank positively in OAA (+1). So, roughly, he was league average defensively in center field.
The team tried to find a true everyday center fielder this offseason, with Starling Marte trade talks lasting much of the Mets’ offseason.
New York ended up just acquiring Jake Marisnick from the Houston Astros, but he is more of a fourth outfielder type than a starting center fielder. He will probably serve as a defensive replacement late in games which would allow Nimmo to move to left field.
The Mets will definitely need Brandon Nimmo to handle the bulk of the playing time in center field and be a catalyst at the top of the lineup in 2020.
