Adopted: Brandon Nimmo

[G-Fafif]

What, nobody's adopted last June's top pick? Well, that changes now, as Brandon Nimmo gets the feel of his first big league camp and tomorrow plays with the big boys.

[Benjamin Grimm]

That first link says he may go to Savannah. I had been thinking Kingsport, but Savannah plays a full season.

I suppose that if he ends the season in St. Lucie, he'll have done well for himself.

[G-Fafif]

My boy loves being in major league camp...loves it!

“I love it, I love it,” Nimmo said, beaming in the clubhouse after his first experience playing with major leaguers. “It’s something that I’d sat in bed when I was a kid and dreamt about.” His experience is not at all uncommon. Before the game, the faces of many Mets players lit up as they recalled the first time they were called to spend a day in big-league camp. “You would have thought it was Game 7 of the World Series with how nervous I was,” said David Wright, who was drafted by the Mets as a teenager in 2001. Ike Davis said he remembered popping up in his first at-bat and playing just a couple of innings in the field his first time in 2009. But the experience, he said, was not about performance. “You get to be in the same clubhouse as major leaguers,” Davis said. “You sit on the bench with them, see what they do, see how they work.” And, Davis said, “You get better food.” This was not lost on Nimmo, who spent the morning doing his routine at the minor league side of the Mets complex before being led over to the major league clubhouse before lunch. He seemed particularly impressed by one item in the major league spread, a dish of baked bell peppers stuffed with beef and rice. “I never saw those in the minor league side,” Nimmo said, laughing. “There was more variety. I definitely enjoyed that.”

[G-Fafif]

Don't know what Keith Law thinks, but Toby Hyde ranks the Nimm fifth among all Mets prospects.

At the plate, he hits out of a wide base with almost no stride, instead preferring just to pick his front foot up and place it down in the same place as his timing trigger. It’s a sweet, simple swing. His hands are quick and he showed a nice feel for making contact. By the standards of young hitters, he’s reasonably patient, and even drew six walks in his first 10 games. His first few AB of his professional career against left-handed pitching were tough, but again, they were just a handful of at-bats. In addition to his physical gifts, Nimmo comes off as enthusiastic and almost unbelievably coachable. In his first week in St. Lucie, at the suggestion of Mets’ outfield instructors, he made a nice alteration to the mechanics of charging a ball in the outfield. It was a small detail, but spoke loudly about his willingness to adapt and try to improve. The Mets see Nimmo as a centerfielder who will hit in the middle of the order. That’s a star. Failing that, he could become a speed player or even Hunter Pence.

[G-Fafif]

Happy 19th birthday to Brandon Nimmo.

[G-Fafif]

Rubin tweets:

2011 1st-round pick Brandon Nimmo in all likelihood staying behind for extended spring training. Not slated now for Savannah/full season.

At his age, Adam explains, starting him below full-season level not uncommon (though he is a first-rounder; but what's the rush, I guess?).

[Edgy MD]

That's fine. A little more coaching can mean a little more discipline. And there's nothing to say he won't get activated along the way.

[G-Fafif]

BN exemplifing Mets' open mind.

It was so out of character that with that one bold pick, the Mets transformed a reputation more than a half-decade in the making. No longer would the Mets be risk-averse in the Draft, avoiding the types of high school talents that have a greater risk of never cracking the big leagues. No longer would the Mets lean on college pitching, even if that meant sacrificing upside for apparent safety.

[G-Fafif]

Nimmo spotted near Coney Island Aquarium.

[G-Fafif]

And Lee Mazzilli's old neighborhood says the 'Clones will be ready for what floats at them.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

A nice interview with the kid after his first week in Brooklyn here, courtesy of Pack Bringley and AA.

AA: The food compares favorably to out west? BN: Yes, the delis are very, very good here. A lot better. Obviously, Nathan's hot dogs; you gotta have that. And at some point we'll make our way to see the Cyclone and Coney Island. But right now it's just been deli shops, subway trains, pizza, and hot dogs.

BN: Right, that's the biggest adjustment, is dealing with failure. And that's what they tell you beforehand and you think you know what you're getting into, but you don't. Wanting to produce and not being able to do it sometimes is the hardest part, especially for athletes that get to this level. They're so competitive, and so used to success. Back in Legion ball, I got out one-out-of-every-two times, or a little bit better than that. So going to where, now, if you get a hit three-out-of-ten times you're really, really good, it's a big adjustment. And you've got to scale it to where, OK, I just need to go up every time to get that good at-bat...

[G-Fafif]

When you're a top prospect on Coney Island, the New York Times cares what you're up to and about where you came from.

The Nimmos took their children to church once a week and taught them humility and respect; that was just how it was out West, Ron Nimmo said.

Here in the East, meanwhile, children are raised to worship false idols and hock loogies at passing strangers.

[Edgy MD]

Nimmo with four hits today.

[G-Fafif]

Adam Rubin noticed:

Brandon Nimmo went 4-for-6 with three runs scored and two RBIs in Brooklyn's 10-5 victory against Mahoning.

23 RBI in 150 AB.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

He's gonna be great. His OBP is stupid for a kid.

[Frayed Knot]

Yeah, the good news/bad news on him so far is that he's walking a ton, but also K-ing a bit too.
And a decent amount of doubles, which is a good sign as two-baggers from teenagers tend to morph into HRs later on. Except when they don't of course.

[G-Fafif]

Via Rubin:

In his past three games, Nimmo has gone 9-for-15 with seven runs scored, three doubles, one homer and three RBIs.

[G-Fafif]

Brandon in Brooklyn: .248/.372/.406. 69 games, 6 HR, 40 RBI, 1 SB, 41 R, 20 2B.

[ashie62]

Where might he start the season??

[Benjamin Grimm]

Probably St. Lucie, right?

[Frayed Knot]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Probably St. Lucie, right?

Savannah most likely; he hasn't played in a full-season league yet so it's almost certain that he starts there.
Whether he gets to PSL in the high-A FSL before the season is out will of course depend on how things go in the low-A Sally Lg.

[G-Fafif]

Three hits for Savannah this fine Sunday. Average at .471 after four games.

[Edgy MD]

It's all hap'n'n' in Savannah this year.

[Vic Sage]

Mets desperately need for this kid to turn out to be something. They have literally no other OF prospects that could have an impact at the major league level.

[Edgy MD]

Well, there's Wuilmer Becerra. And Wilmer Flores if he lands there. Possibly den Dekker if he develops the stick to stick.

[Vic Sage]

Edgy MD wrote: Well, there's Wuilmer Becerra. And Wilmer Flores if he lands there. Possibly den Dekker if he develops the stick to stick.

Yes, they are all viable prospects. But Nimmo was a 1st round pick; if he fails to develop, it'll be more damaging for the Mets than if a 5th rounder like Den Dekker doesn't make it, or 2 young kids signed out of Venezuela. And Flores hasn't played an inning in the OF yet, as far as i know. He may end up there, but until he does, he's not an OF prospect. And the likelihood of den Dekker suddenly learning the difference between a ball and a strike at age 25 seems unlikely to me, though his glove and power may yet make him a useful major League bench player. Becerra is 18 so it's way too early to know what his ceiling is, but if he doesn't make it, then it's "oh, well, he was just a throw-in in the Dickey trade anyway".

But, as i said, I think that Nimmo is the only OF prospect with the potential to make a major impact, and at the cost of a 1st rounder, they need him to. I'm certainly rooting for that.

[Edgy MD]

Sure, but switching from impact at the major league level to major impact is shifting goal posts.

[Vic Sage]

Fair enough.. my intention was to identify him as the only prospect that could possibly make a major impact, but, as you point out, i didn't say that originally.

[batmagadanleadoff]

From Baseball Prospectus 2013:

Nimmo's advanced approach at the plate is extremely impressive in light of his age and his background. He comes out of Wyoming, a state where the only baseball option is American Legion ball. (Though it's worth noting than an American Legion team plays more games in a season than a typical high school squad.) In other ways, though, Nimmo's tools are ahead of his skills - he has plus speed, for instance, but is still learning the orienteering skills needed to track down fly balls. His stolen base numbers [1 out of 6 in 2012] say all you need to know about how well he's reading pitchers. He's also delightfully small-town. His manager had to threaten Nimmo with sprints to get him to stop saying "sir".

Comparables: Ed Kirkpatrick, Ken Griffey, Justin Upton.

[Edgy MD]

Currently going .379 / .471 / .483 // .953 in the South Atlantic League.