Mike Friere - A Ray of Hope?

Things have been a bit on the dismal side the last six weeks, or so, right?   OK, they have been downright brutal and most Mets’ fans (even the most patient and optimistic ones) have started to lose interest in the team as they slowly slide out of contention in the NL East.

With so much negativity of late, it is easy to overlook some of the positive developments that are taking place on the periphery of the team.  One of those “positive developments” is the play of Brandon Nimmo over the past few weeks.  Since he was one of Sandy’s most controversial picks, it is actually hard to believe that he hasn’t gotten more attention this year.   Not to mention it took significant injuries for Brandon to actually get regular playing time which most young players need to refine their skills.

So far this season, Brandon has started 36 games in the outfield with the starts spread out across all three positions (15 in LF, 8 in CF and 13 in RF).  The fact that he has not had a “normal” position likely explains why he has a slightly negative dWAR for the year, since he was not given time to settle down and get comfortable (until recently, that is).   However, with his athletic ability, I am confident that his defense would be league average, if not a bit higher if he was left alone in one spot.  

But, this isn’t so much about his defense or his best position on the field.  No, Brandon’s calling card is an excellent "batting eye” which translates into an elite level “on base percentage” from the top of the order.  HIs on base percentage for 2018 is hovering around .431,  which is in the neighborhood of  Rickey Henderson’s best seasons (minus the terrifying speed, that is).   I think most fans are aware that Brandon has always been patient at the plate, but some felt that his impact was minimal outside of that skill.

That may have been true in the past, but now that he has been given regular playing time, his entire offensive game is really taking off.  Consider his statistical line to date and remember his limited playing time early in the year;

.287/.431/.574  (1.004 OPS)

6 HR/12 RBI/5 SB and 25 RS

1.7 WAR

Yes, the statistics are correct…….he has an OPS over 1.000 which is exceptional and he has started to display some power (.574 slugging percentage) and some speed (5 steals) while maintaining the rest of his skills.   Since he wasn’t getting regular playing time at the start of the year, his statistics are the equivalent of roughly one quarter of a season’s worth of playing time (maybe a bit less).  If you want to have some fun, multiply the counting statistics by four to get an estimated full season statistical line (24 HR, 20 SB,100 RS and close to 7 WAR, for example).  

***I know the RBI’s are a bit low, but he is batting leadoff and it isn’t like the Mets put a lot of baserunners on base anyway.

If theses gains are legitimate (and they seem to be), then we just might have a budding star in our midst.  In my world, Brandon is the present and future left fielder/lead off hitter and I would work on moving Yoenis Cespedes to an AL team so he could DH, etc.  Brandon is also under team control through the 2022 season so despite being arbitration eligible in that window, he should also be an affordable asset moving forward.

With all the talk of rebuilding the roster, I am moving Brandon into the smaller group of “untouchables” and I am excited to see him continue to develop as the season progresses.