Baseball America reached out to scouts employed by Major League Baseball clubs to see which 15 players impressed them the most during Spring Training. The scouts were asked to identify players they felt were primed to take a step forward in 2020.
Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo was on the list after hitting .379/.455/.552 with three doubles, triple, and two walks in 11 games. Maybe most notably was the fact that he struck out only four times in 29 at-bats. Strikeouts have been the one downside to Nimmo’s offensive game, reaching a career-high 28.0 strikeout percentage last season.
“He’s not a center fielder and they’re going to have him play there everyday, so maybe his advanced metrics like WAR and all that might not cast him in such a favorable light. But I think with the bat, as long as he’s healthy, he’s worth keeping an eye on. I’d bet on him having a pretty good year offensively.”
The 26-year-old struggled early on in the 2019 season, hitting just .200/.344/.323 in 43 games before being put on the injured list in May with a bulging disk in his neck. Nimmo was terrific in 26 September games after being activated as he hit .261/.430/.565 with 10 extra base hits and a 20 BB/23 K ratio.
Nimmo knows he will have to manage his neck for the rest of his baseball career, though it hasn’t slowed him down at all this spring. Brandon is expected to be the primary starter in center field for the Mets and hit atop of potentially strong lineup.
Mets minor league outfielder Johneshwy Fargas was on the honorable mention list of 13 players. Fargas, 25, was given a minor league deal by the Mets during the offseason. He finished spring play tied for second in the majors with six stolen bases and hit for the rare Spring Training cycle last week.
Fargas hit .276/.300/.483 with seven strikeouts and one walk in 29 at-bats this spring. The right-handed speedster played seven seasons in the Giants’ farm system, reaching as high as Double-A in 2019.
