Brandon Nimmo: A Baseball Odyssey From Wyoming To The Big Apple

It may not be true forever, but Brandon Nimmo is not well known for his baseball talent. Instead, he’s recognized as the only player to make the major leagues directly from the wide open ranges of Wyoming.

Brandon Nimmo was a first-round pick of the New York Mets (#13 overall) in the 2011 major league draft. He was drafted directly out of East Cheyenne High School in Cheyenne, Wyoming. All told, he’s played in 63 games for the Mets this season and all signs could point to a starting position in the Mets crowded outfield in 2017.

That’s pretty good given the fact that Wyoming high schools don’t even field baseball teams because the weather is like living on a frozen tundra. Brandon Nimmo found a way to fulfill his dream of playing big league baseball though by playing roughly 80 American Legion games during the summer, even if it meant traveling day and night to get there.

Just after he was drafted, MLB.com did a story on Nimmo and he explained it this way: “It just seems normal to me, in the winter, to go indoors and work harder because you know the other guys are getting the reps, getting the at-bats. I have to be better, stronger, faster because I don’t get to play year-round. In my family, you work as hard as you can in anything you do. That’s all I’ve done.”

Fresh off having been named the Mets Co-Minor League Player Of The Year along with shortstop Ahmed Rosario, Nimmo finds himself in a crowded Mets outfield where there may or may not be a place for him. He’s in direct competition with Michael Conforto, who’s had more than his share of problems adjusting to major league pitching.

Plus, the Mets need to figure out what to do with Jay Bruce ($17 million in 2017), Yeonis Cespedes (dollars unknown if he decides to stay), and Curtis Granderson, who has been making a statement about his value the last couple of weeks.

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One scout offered this rather unflattering assessment of Nimmo, saying “I think his best chance of being an everyday regular, if he’s ever going to be that, will be with a second-division club,” a National League scout said. “I don’t think he’s going to be able to handle left-handed pitching on a consistent basis. And he doesn’t really profile as a center fielder. If he’s going to be a corner guy, he doesn’t have enough power. For me, he profiles best as a fourth outfielder who gets the majority of his playing time against right-handed pitching at any of the three outfield positions.” (ESPN)

Which could be why the New York Post was reporting that the Mets were entertaining a trade at the deadline with Nimmo involved when they were looking for a power hitter to jump start their anemic offense. Ultimately, they settled of course on Bruce and we know how that’s panned out so far.

A possible move the Mets might consider though is moving Nimmo to first base. As we know from David Wright and Mark Teixeria, back problems seldom disappear and they are never cured. So the Mets would be wise not to count on Lucas Duda returning to play a full year of baseball.

Nimmo would probably need to be returned to Las Vegas to start the season in order to learn the position, or better yet they could send him close by to Double-A Binghamton where coaches could make the two-hour drive to tutor him.

That would also allow the Mets time to sort out their glut in the outfield if it doesn’t get sorted out during the offseason.

The other possibility is to return to the idea of trading him for an upgrade to the catching position. Travis d’Arnaud continues to baffle the Mets, and by now probably himself too, as to why and where his power numbers have gone.

The Mets have given him way more (1000+ at-bats) than a chance to prove himself, but he continues to underwhelm. With d’Arnaud in the deal too, the Mets would increase their chances of getting a high-level player in return.

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So while the journey of Brandon Nimmo makes for a good baseball story and maybe even a movie (Finding Nimmo?), his future with the Mets is complex. The Mets have the winter to sort things out and a multitude of decisions to make regarding their opening day roster for 2017. And Brandon Nimmo is only a part of the equation that needs to be solved.

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