Brandon Nimmo Is Big Piece of the Puzzle in 2021

The New York Mets had their first official full squad workout yesterday, however, over the past week players were beginning to slowly trickle in to Port St. Lucie. Unsurprisingly outfielder Brandon Nimmo was one of the first of the bunch to report to camp.

This is a big spring for Nimmo, and the early arrival is a good sign that he is locked in and ready to go. With the Mets having not added a legitimate starting center fielder this offseason, Nimmo figures to remain as the starter alongside Dominic Smith and Michael Conforto in the outfield.

Despite his defensive struggles at the position to this point in his career, Nimmo told a member of the team’s PR staff upon his arrival to camp, he has been preparing all offseason for the role and is up for the challenge (via MLB.com’s Anthony Dicomo).

“I’ve been trying to communicate with the front office and Luis the manager that ‘Hey, if you guys want me in center field, I’m ready and I’m more than willing,’” Nimmo said.

Due to both the shortened 2020 season, and an injury-riddled 2019 campaign, this will be Nimmo’s first full season since 2018, a year in which he put up 4.5 fWAR. The 2021 season figures to present a nice opportunity for Nimmo to show off what he can do atop a very strong Mets lineup.

With the Mets expected issues on the defensive side of the ball, the offense is going to need to score a ton of runs. That starts at the top, with Nimmo and Jeff McNeil serving as the table setters ahead of the Mets big bats in Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, Conforto and Smith.

While Nimmo’s defense has been a bit of an issue, he hasn’t carried his struggles with him to the plate. On the offensive side of things, the former first-round pick has been one of the more productive outfielders in the game over the past couple of seasons.

Since coming into the league in 2016, Nimmo’s bat and on-base prowess have only improved.

The always patient left-hander is coming off a 55-game season in which he posted a .404 OBP, .888 OPS, and finished in the top 10% of the league with a 14.7 walk percentage, according to Baseball Savant. He also posted a 148 wRC+ and accounted for a 1.5 fWAR.

Nimmo is a key part of a very strong Mets core that can truly make some noise in the National League East this season. With all the buzz around the squad this offseason, Nimmo said he is really excited to see what’s in store for the 2021 New York Mets.

“I’m looking forward to it, and we’re looking forward to really competing, staying healthy this year, and trying to win a World Series,” Nimmo added.

The post Brandon Nimmo Is Big Piece of the Puzzle in 2021 first appeared on Metsmerized Online.