Brandon Nimmo Wants To Play Center Field In 2022

Brandon Nimmo is a team player. But as the 28-year-old inches closer to free agency (he’ll hit the market after this season with Scott Boras as his agent), Nimmo has been more vocal about his career intentions. Last year, he expressed interest in staying in New York City and talking to the Mets about an extension. And now, the long-time utility outfielder has made it clear in a profile from Newsday‘s Tim Healey that he wants to play center field full time.

That wasn’t really a debate in 2021, when Nimmo was far and away the best center field option who could routinely hit on the team. But Starling Marte–the team’s new $78 million outfielder–will be on the roster in 2022, and he has played center for over 4,000 innings–more than double what Nimmo has played at the position.

But, as Healey pointed out, Nimmo’s defensive metrics showed him to be the better center fielder last season. Nimmo is entering his prime, where Marte will play the 2022 season at age 33. Marte actually rated far better as a left fielder earlier in his career, too, and he may be better suited there anyway once the season gets underway.

Nimmo had positive defensive metrics in center for the first time in his career in 2021 (4 outs above average, and 4 defensive runs saved). “Last year, I kind of solidified that I can play centerfield,” Nimmo said. “I was very, very proud of the difference in the numbers from ’20 to ’21 and doing what they asked me to do and improving there.”

That’s in part to the advice he got from now-assistant GM Ben Zauzmer. Last spring, Nimmo said Zauzmer swayed him to start playing a deeper center field. That shows in Nimmo’s average centerfield positioning numbers, courtesy of Statcast.

In 2021, Nimmo’s average positioning was 325 feet from home plate. He was three feet closer on average to home in 2020, and he was a full 11 feet closer (314 ft.) to home in 2019. Nimmo has always had the well-above-average speed to get to certain fly balls, but his initial starting position has seemed to help him get there a little bit easier and with more consistency.

If Nimmo doesn’t play center, though, Nimmo admits that “someone really, really good must be there. … And that will mean we have a good outfield.”

That outfield could shape up as Nimmo in center flanked by Marte in left and Canha in right field–Michael Conforto‘s old stomping grounds. That’s an outfield Nimmo is excited about, and after the team’s spending spree just before the lockout, he said he’s “excited” to be part of the new-looking Mets. The front office “made it clear: We’re coming after it this year.”