The World Baseball Classic is an event among 16 countries that is now held every four years. Around this time, many players are added to their respective countries’ teams. New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo was one of those players and will be playing with Team Italy according to Jon Morosi of Fox Sports.
Morosi also reported that fellow Mets outfielder Michael Conforto will not be participating in the Classic even after Team Italy recruited him.
The 23-year-old Nimmo was the Mets first-round pick in 2011. He made his major league debut in 2016 and played in 32 games. In those games he hit a modest .274/.338/.329 with one home run, six RBI, and 12 runs. He, like most hitters, hit much better in the dry air of Triple-A Las Vegas. There he batted .352/.423/.541 with 11 home runs, 61 RBI, 72 runs, 25 doubles, and eight triples in 97 games.
Nimmo will be joining Francisco Cervelli, Drew Butera, and Chris Colabello as MLB participants for Team Italy. The team goes into the Classic as underdogs.
They will be playing for Manager Marco Mazzieri in Group D with Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. Their first match will be on March 9 against Mexico whom they defeated in their 2013 World Baseball Classic opener with a ninth-inning comeback.
It is not too surprising to see Conforto decline to play in the World Baseball Classic. Even after Terry Collins encouraged Conforto to play winter ball back in December, his agents did not agree.
