By Dalton Allison September 15, 2020
With a smile that shines brighter than any floodlight he plays under, Brandon Nimmo has become a fan favorite through his hustle and pure delight at playing the game of baseball. Fans of the New York Mets have become accustomed to his penchant for getting on base, and for his signature sprint to first base after he draws a walk. While Nimmo is undoubtedly one of the more charming players in baseball, it is possible that his mishaps in center field have begun to outweigh his productivity at the plate. With recent defensive stats being released on Monday to the public, the metrics echo that sentiment.
According to the MLB, OAA (Outs Above Average) is a range-based metric of skill that shows how many runs a player has saved. The positive Mets fan will look at the report and report what we have been watching all season. It comes as no surprise to see that Andres Gimenez is ranked amongst the best defensive infielders in the game, with an OAA of 4. This is a mark shared with the likes of Fernando Tatis Jr. and Francisco Lindor. A more pessimistic fan will look at Nimmo’s rating of -4 and see that he is tied for the worst OAA amongst outfielders.
While this seems extremely alarming, Michael Conforto has registered a rating of -3. The difference between the two players however is that Conforto has put up a campaign that has earned him a spot in the NL MVP conversation while Nimmo has been pedestrian at best with the bat in his hand. While it is not fair that Nimmo is being forced to play in an outfield position that is unnatural to him, his offense this season has not warranted sacrificing centerfield defense to keep his bat in the lineup.
The calling card of Nimmo’s career is that he has always been able to reach base, and his OBP is ranked 10th in the NL at a mark of .388. Ironically, this mark puts him third on the team, behind Conforto and the resurgent Jeff McNeil. Nimmo ranks high in the NL in other offensive categories that you’d expect, tied for 7th in walks, 16th in hits, and 17th in total bases. While it is fantastic that the Mets have an outfield that is producing at a high clip offensively, they have never needed a defensively competent outfield as much as they do now.
The pitching staff of the Mets needs all the help that they can get, and it will be the same case next season. The offense won’t always be able create an 18-run security blanket like they did on September 11th, so it is crucial that they put up a defense that is able to make plays behind a rotation that’s only consistency is Jacob deGrom every five starts. Nimmo can’t be considered a solid option at center field behind pitchers who give up hits like the Mets rotation does. The issue is that he can’t be moved to the corners because of the offensive prowess of Conforto and McNeil, along with the terrific defense that McNeil has brought to the outfield.
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I agree, though I like him in left if someone like George Springer comes aboard.
ReplyDeleteNimmo is valuable. He gets on base a lot and has good power. He has to bring back equal value, if traded.
ReplyDeleteSorry, but there is no place for Nimmo once a legitimate CF is brought on board. McNeil in left. Also, need a significant upgrade @ third. JD does not cut it.
ReplyDeleteYou are the same people who will be screaming a year after you trade him that we made a mistake. He is a .900+ ops player who is still getting better. Hes a top 10 runs created player, hes a homegrown player and he is the ONLY player we have that ALWAYS brings energy and never quits on an AB. Oh yea and hes still affordable.
DeleteThe DH has arrived and its staying. You need offense. Do you believe Nimmo wont continue to get better both offensively and defensively? A player like him? He is studious, positive and committed.
Honestly, as much as I hate Yankee fans they, at least, are not as stupid as our fans. You dont trade players like him unless you get something serious in return. If you do trade him it will be, Jeff Kent the redux.
And who is coming to play CF? How many great CFs are there right now? Not many and thats not where you want to go. You are now perfectly set up to trade for Lindor, a top 5 MLB player who fixes your biggest problem, infield defense. Its gonna cost Rosario or Gimenez and may cost Nimmo too (if Cleveland is smart) but it will allow you to move the SS you dont trade to second or third and the next one, Mauricio (who is coming fast) or Baty or Vientos to get reps.
You guys get caught up in stats you dont understand with the defensive metrics. NO ONE EVEN KNOWS HOW THE METRICS ARE CALCULATED for God's sake. Our defense is bad, but it's the infield defense that's killing us, not the outfield defense.
Richard
DeleteDon't beat me up. I wanI him in left with Springer in center.
On the outfield topic 2021.
ReplyDeleteI concur with Mr. Mack on Brandon Nimmo. He plays ata 120% level all the time. He's fine in left or right, above average there.
I want Brandon Nimmo in left field. Springer is an okay selection Mack, but I stay with Jake Marisnick in CF because I don't think his hot start here (in 2020) was an illusion. He wants this and it shows.
Marisnick is a big, strong, exceptionally fast athlete who gives it 120% (like Brandon and Michael do) even grabbing a Gatorade out of the cooler. He's your prototypical football type athlete playing baseball. But he's smooth about it too, has really decent skills, and will only keep getting better now that he is nearing his physical age prime.
Jake is really the guy a team should want out there playing every day. Another type "Nails", but smarter.
Unlike some here perhaps, I like having a Jake Marisnick and a JD Davis playing in the same one batting lineup every day. They play hard and have solid power game, not unlike Brandon, Dominique, Pete, and Michael as well. And this team cannot get enough guys like these are. Trust me. I love this team. See my next follow-up post.
I give Jake 2021 CF, in between Brandon and Michael. And go to war with them.
This so you understand what I see...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZuN8YOJj7Q
It's pitching Mr. Met.
ReplyDeleteDid you see David Peterson last night? OMG! Cigar time all around!
He's really looking like a top-end lefty starter to me. A strikeout guy too. Only has three feet to throw the ball after release, because he's 6'6".
So now we finally have a really good lefty starter onboard this ship in David Peterson.
People, this is precisely why we all need to be patient here with these younger players.
You have to sort of figure that once 2021 begins, that Noah Syndergaard may not be ready to go quite yet. We need him 100% and certain about that. You have to play it safe with such a terrific starter.
So what does this all mean?
The Mets should have this much ready: 1. DeGrom 2. "Open" with Noah possibly still out mending 3. Peterson 4. "The Lugo-nator" 5. "Open" for now, this early on. So we have three for sure, with two open spots for the 2021 rotation. "Open" for competition.
Dos.
AAA minors have lefty starter Thomas Szapucki, and righty starters Corey Oswalt y Harol Gonzales. Oswalt has kind of been the sixth starter here already. He may need to add one more out pitch to his arsenal to be gold. But scouts like Harol Gonzales as well.
If say the Mets add in Boston's Jay Groome (6'6"), then the law of averages for 2021 ST becomes four deep. I like this idea, a lot Mr. Met. Shake your head if you agree. Oops, not so hard!
So the Mets have to get one more really good MLB experienced starter to make five with Noah still down to start 2021. But not from the FA List (there's very little there actually in pitching) but via a trade.
I like the Indians' Bieber and Quantrill a lot. But what intelligent team gives them up really? The Indians are smokin' hot right now. If you get a second, go lookup all the good young pitchers that they have on their team right now. It's remarkable.
A Cyclops Synops:
It's the pitching. Mets need to deepen their kid picks for the fifth starter role to four by 2021 ST. Szapucki, Gonzales, Oswalt, and Groome. They need to explore a top-end starter more as well, via a trade, but without giving up all the really good homegrown hitters here, to their credit.
Think about this a second. The scouting.
1b Alonso and Smith (homegrown) 2b McNeil, Guillorme (homegrown) SS Rosario, Gimenez (homegrown) 3b oops! Lf Nimmo (homegrown) CF Don Hahn RF Conforto (homegrown) C Nido (homegrown) Mr. Met (homespun) That sometimes dirty rascal!
You gotta' love this team! It's a shoelace away from their prime time. And "The sun will come out tomorrow, bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow, will be sun."
Smilin' Cyclops In
ReplyDeleteYankees overrated a tad. No not the hitting, but their rotation actually. Out of their five starters (right now) only Cole has a winning record in their entire rotation. Montgomery the least successful of the five, but the other three no stranger to the struggle.
I don't see them competing favorably with some of the other AL top teams because of this.
But who knows, time always tells.
Smilin' Cyclops out!