Brandon Nimmo Feeling Confident About Mets’ Offense

“I like where we’re at right now. I think we’re sitting pretty right now.”

That’s what New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo had to say about the team’s lineup in his first session with the media down in Port St. Lucie. Nimmo commented on the fact that the current iteration of the Mets’ order is very potent. While his on-base skills make him a logical choice to continue being the leadoff hitter, he doesn’t care where he hits in the lineup because “There isn’t a bad place to hit.”

The 27-year-old former first-round draft pick bounced back from an injury-riddled 2019 campaign with a solid 2020 season. In 225 plate appearances, he slashed .280/.404/.484 with eight home runs, 18 RBI, and 33 runs scored. This performance led to a 148 wRC+, which is the exact same mark he produced during his breakout campaign of 2018. It was encouraging to see his strikeout rate go back down to 19.1% after settling in at 28.0% in 2019, and his 1.5 fWAR outperformed what he did the year prior despite playing in 14 fewer games played (1.3).

Nimmo said he thinks he can hit .300 in a single season, but the bigger priority is getting on base, which is obviously what he’s known for. That continued in 2020 thanks to that .404 on-base percentage, which was fueled by a 14.7% walk rate. With a lineup that’s expected to have run producers like Michael Conforto, Pete Alonso, and Francisco Lindor in the middle of it, getting on base should continue to be Nimmo’s top priority. As J.D. Davis mentioned yesterday, Nimmo also shared his excitement about having hitting coach Chili Davis back in the dugout, which should be a boon for this offense after not having him there last season.

Nimmo spent the majority of his offseason in Florida, and the best part of it all was the weather because, well, it’s southern Florida and it’s not going to be snowing. Quite a different winter for someone who is used to being bundled up in Wyoming. While Nimmo enjoyed the “winter” weather in PSL, he worked on agility and ladder work, along with getting stronger and “fast-twitch explosion”.

That will likely help him as he continually makes adjustments in center field, like when he started positioning himself deeper in the latter half of 2020. Nimmo mentioned that he “Definitely was able to play more balls and play the wall better.”

And in case there was any curiosity on Nimmo’s thoughts of recent draftee, Pete Crow-Amstrong, the outfielder likes what he sees, noting that there’s a certain fluidity about the prospect. “Looks like a really great athlete who moves really well… He’s very athletic.”

That’s encouraging to hear for the future, but for right now, Nimmo is rightfully excited about this current Mets squad and the potential that lies within the lineup — as we all are.

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