9/8/14

MMs Top 25: #5 OF Brandon Nimmo




#5 OF Brandon Nimmo (LR: #10)
Bats: L Throws: R
Height: 6' 3" Weight: 205 lb
Age: 21
Acquired: 2011 Rule 4 Draft, 1st Round, East HS (Cheyenne, WY)

2014: (A+/AA) .278/.394/.426, 10 HR, 51 RBI, 14 SB (78%), 86 BB, 105 K
2013: (A) .273/.397/.359, 2 HR, 40 RBI, 10 SB (59%), 71 BB, 131 K
2012: (SS-A) .248/.372/.406, 6 HR, 40 RBI, 1 SB (17%), 46 BB, 78 K
2011: (R) .211/.318/.368, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 0 SB (0%), 6 BB, 14 K  
   
     Admit it.....when Sandy Alderson initially made this pick, we all were staring at our computer screens scratching our heads. Well low and behold, the master mind GM was right to trust this kid. After an intense off-season workout program at the IMG Academy with the likes of Andrew McCutcheon, Nimmo dominated the Florida State League and earned himself a promotion to AA- Binghamton.

     While the numbers for Binghamton (.238/.339/.396) don't look quite as good as his FSL numbers, I did get the chance to see Nimmo play in person and I came away quite impressed. Nimmo continues to show that he's not going to chase bad pitches. In fact, he completely embodies the organizational strategy of "hunting for your pitch." He doesn't swing at pitches on the corners that you can't do much with, he just waits for the pitcher to make a mistake and drills it.

     This does lead to a higher K rate then most would like, but a 19.4% K rate is certainly manageable in the MLB. Especially considering guys like McCutcheon, Pence, and Puig all have K rates near the 18% mark. Nimmo may not develop much more power, as he filled out his 6'3" frame pretty well at the IMG academy.

     In the event that he does add a few more pounds of muscle before he reaches the big leagues, we could develop ourselves a very dangerous middle of the order bat in the OF which is something the team has not had in a while. For now I'll hold his ceiling flat to the last update but do keep in mind there's a chance it could be upgraded soon.

Ceiling: 15 HR/15 SB LF with good defense (Alex Gordon)
Floor: Power does not develop but he still becomes a solid #2 hitter (Christian Yelich)

9 comments:

Tom Brennan said...

Brandon's 6 for 10 in the past 2 playoff games with 5 runs scored is exciting stuff. Coming up big to help them win their series. Looks like this puzzling pick (at the time) is now looking to be a pretty good pick after all.

Anonymous said...

@Tom

I'm really looking forward to hearing about his off-season this year....

Everytime I think of his make-up and the improvements he's made to his game.....I continue to get the feeling that his ceiling will end up being that of his "teacher"....

Andrew McCutcheon

If my dream becomes a reality......holy crap......

Anonymous said...

I can see it now....

2016 line-up

2B Dilson Herrera .260/15 HR/20 SB
LF Brandon Nimmo .280/20 HR/20 SB
3B David Wright .290/20 HR/80 RBI
1B Lucas Duda .250/30 HR/100 RBI
C Travis d'Arnaud .260/20 HR/75 RBI
RF Curtis Granderson .230/15HR/60 RBI
CF Juan Lagares .280/5 HR/15 SB
SS (Open) (WHO CARES)

Mack Ade said...

Chris -

This is what I've been trying to point out to everyone here. We're not that far away and that's just with internal pieces.

But... if Nimmo is only the 5th best prospect on this team... well, we have an exciting time ahead of us

Anonymous said...

@Mack

This is the 1st time I've done a list where you could make a case for 17-18 guys to be in the Top 10.

In the past we've been very top heavy whereas now.....there's talent up and down the entire list.

Tom Brennan said...

Many good solid prospects with major league impact potential...and more coming on top of that from my new favorite place - the Mets' lower minors!

Tom Brennan said...

Let's see if after the next 19 games, Chris, you pencil in Flores at SS. Dude will someday make them forget Tejada!

Charles said...

Mack,

Can you find out why Ty Bashlor didn't pitch anywhere this year for Mets? Last year, as their 11th round pick, they paid him 550,000 dollars. Yet, he didn't throw a pitch on any of the teams this season.

I'm guessing he got hurt in extended.

Mack Ade said...

Charles -

TJS