Brandon Nimmo - ‘He’s chasing perfection’

 

Tim Britton - Brandon Nimmo - ‘He’s chasing perfection’- 

The pole barn stood 2,600 square feet, complete with a construction heater, a basketball court and just enough space for a hitter to stand 60 feet, 6 inches from a pitcher. 

But for a preteen Brandon Nimmo, the only space that mattered was the 25 feet that separated him and his dad, Ron, for batting practice each day. 

Ron built the barn on the edge of the family property as an acknowledgment that the Wyoming winters — hell, the Wyoming springs and autumns — were too unforgiving for baseball. The heaters could get the barn to 40 degrees — “that’s plenty warm in Wyoming,” Ron quipped — and the insulated walls kept out the wind. 

That barn in Cheyenne is where this all started, where Brandon Nimmo first displayed a nearly fanatical approach to self-improvement and the humility that must inherently inspire it. Those traits are the prime movers of Nimmo’s unceasing evolution — from a long-legged kid in a baseball outpost to a first-round pick, from a struggling pro to the Mets’ longest-tenured major-leaguer, from a fourth outfielder into one of the game’s best leadoff hitters. 

Above all, he’s evolved into the kind of player in whom the team that knew him best wanted to invest $162 million — precisely because that evolution isn’t over yet.