The first half of the season, and really almost everything since the Mets’ 12-2 start, has been a complete and utter disappointment.

An exception to this rule was Brandon Nimmo in the first half, who emerged as a possible long-term solution to be an everyday outfielder for the team.

Up until July 1, it appeared very clear that Nimmo was almost without a doubt going to start in 2019, as he was slashing .270/.389/.540 with 12 home runs and 25 RBI to give him a superb .929 OPS on the season.

However, a brutal month of July in which he hit a mere .205/.359/.301 with one home run, six RBI, and 35 strikeouts in 85 at-bats has certainly put some pause in some peoples’ eyes.

It is worth noting, though, that his average dipped largely after being hit on the hand on June 24, as he was hitting .283/.403/.571 before the injury.

Nonetheless, because of his struggles that month, it now has become a legitimate question of whether or not Nimmo can really handle the toll of playing every day and whether or not he should be relied on like that next year.

Well, for starters, Nimmo has since rebounded early in the month of August with a .256/.360/.558 slash line to go along with two home runs and five RBI in 43 at-bats to go along with a reduced amount of strikeouts (12).

Another factor to consider here is that Nimmo is significantly better against right-handed pitching (.261 average, 13 home runs) as compared to his same-handed opponents (.229 average, three home runs).

So what do I think, personally?

I would say that they should plan on him playing the majority of the time in the outfield next season, but should not bank on things working out.

What does that mean exactly?

Well, as it can be seen by his month of July, teams have appeared to find his weaknesses and as a result, his strikeout rate skyrocketed that month. For the year, it is pretty high as well as it currently stands at 29.1%.

Another aspect of his game to be wary of is his .343 BABIP. That is alarming because it could suggest that his season average of .252 might be due for significant regression come next year and what we have seen for the majority of this season might not be representative of the type of hitter he really is.

Furthermore, it would be wise to bring in a platoon partner for him with his splits showing a significant lack of power against left-handers this year.

That could simply be solved by bringing back someone like Austin Jackson back to help in that regard or going out on the free agent market and pursuing a more stable option like that of Andrew McCutchen, who could just move around the outfield if Nimmo proves capable enough to handle the job all year.

On the flip side, the reason I would say that Nimmo should be given the job for next season is because of his ridiculous ability to get on base.

Aside from his strong ability to walk (51 times), he also has managed to get 17 hit by pitches this season, which we have seen over the last few years has become a skill in this league and not just simply luck, as evidenced by Brandon Guyer making a career out of it for the Cleveland Indians.

All of that has allowed him to have an above-average .861 OPS this season, even with his really dreadful month of July.

The rest of the season should hopefully help make this decision a little bit easier, though, as there truly is no clear answer at the moment.