Brandon Nimmo: Bright Future or Failed Flop?

Brandon Nimmo recently suffered a partially torn tendon in his foot, so that raises the question, does he have a bright future with the New York Mets?

The New York Mets selected Brandon Nimmo with the 13th pick (1st round) of the 2011 MLB Amateur Draft, one pick ahead of Marlins ace Jose Fernandez. The New York Mets took a huge gamble on drafting Brandon Nimmo, because his high school in Wyoming did not have a baseball team. However, the Mets were sold on Brandon Nimmo’s high potential, which ultimately led to his first round selection.

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Coming out of the draft, Brandon Nimmo possessed an advanced approach at the plate, and it translated to a high OBP in professional ball. Brandon Nimmo owns a .381 career on-base percentage; however, his batting average lags behind, registering a career .268 batting average. Despite a patient approach at the plate, Brandon Nimmo struggled with strikeouts earlier in his career, compiling 209 strike outs in 179 games from 2012-2013.

While Brandon Nimmo does not hit for high average, he finished the 2015 season on a high note, reaching the Triple-A level. At Triple-A Las Vegas, Brandon Nimmo sported a .264/.393/.418 slash line, with three home runs and eight RBI in 32 games. While with Las Vegas, Brandon Nimmo posted his highest wRC+ (weighted runs created) since High-A, sitting at 121.

The true value lying within Brandon Nimmo is high advanced eye at the plate, resulting in a high OBP; however, his counting stats leave Mets fans yearning for more. With only 25 home runs in 420 games, Brandon Nimmo is not producing at the rate the Mets believed he would, especially as a first round selection. Moreover, Brandon Nimmo averaged five home runs, 32 RBI, and six stolen bases per season at the minor league level.

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With Brandon Nimmo finishing the 2015 season at the Triple-A level, there is a great possibility that he starts the 2016 season at that level. By starting out the season in the Pacific Coast League, Brandon Nimmo has a chance to improve his counting stats, due to the hitter-friendly environments the league offers. Brandon Nimmo owns a career-high of 10 home runs (2014) in one season, and the Mets, surely, hope he reaches or surpasses that in 2016.

Brandon Nimmo recently suffered a partially torn tendon in his foot, so the injury will delay his development somewhat heading into Spring Training. Also, entering the 2015 season, MLB.com ranked Brandon Nimmo as the 71st-best prospect in baseball, but due to his continued struggles, he fell out of the top-100 entering the 2016 season.

Needless to say, Brandon Nimmo has not lived up to the first round billing the Mets gave him. Also, the Mets must feel bad for selecting him right before Jose Fernandez. Could you imaging the Mets’ rotation with Jose Fernandez inserted within it? As of now, it looks like the Mets whiffed by selecting Brandon Nimmo in the first round; however, at age-22, Nimmo has time on his side to prove his worth to the Mets.

While we should not rule out Brandon Nimmo’s future in the MLB, he needs to get it together at the minor league level in the near future. Brandon Nimmo’s ability to play all three outfield positions should aid the former first round pick to reach the MLB level sooner rather than later. With five professional seasons under his belt, Brandon Nimmo needs to take a big step forward in 2016, because Mets fans are starting to lose faith in him.

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Some experts believe Brandon Nimmo will reach the Major Leagues by the end of 2016, but his promotion is contingent on how well he performs in Las Vegas. Also, the foot injury does not help his chances out of the gate. Due to the lack of production, Nimmo looks more like a flop than someone with a bright MLB future. Only time will tell.

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