Adopted: Brandon Nimmo

[Vic Sage]

is that an offensive-type league?

[Benjamin Grimm]

These days, just about everything is offensive to somebody.

[Vic Sage]

wacca wacca!

thank you, ladies and germs!

I'll be here all week!

Try the veal... and don't forget to tip your waitresses!

[Frayed Knot]

Vic Sage wrote: is that an offensive-type league?

Neither the Sally Lg as a whole nor, to the best of my knowledge, Savannah's park specifically, have the rep as hitting havens.
Besides, the biggest thing with this kid's numbers to date isn't the power that places like the Cal League or certain Pac Coast Lg cities are known to inflate, but rather the BA/OBA gap which, one would figure, should shine regardless of environment. Over a 100 difference during Rookie Ball in 2011, a 124 point gap last season at Brooklyn, and now close to 100 in the small sample size this year. Nice strike-zone knowledge for a kid just turning 20 and, if the high priests of Moneyball are to be believed, a good indicator of future success.

[Frayed Knot]

Stats to Date: .424/.513/.576 over 17 games, 80 PAs, 66 ABs

The most consistent thing about his career so far is keeping that OBA number in the range of 100 points above his BA


And in answer to the question asked earlier about the offensive nature of the league or Savannah, Baseball America sez:
Mets CF Brandon Nimmo has shown impressive bat-to-ball skills early on for Low-A Savannah, going 12-for-27 on the week. I would note only that of the 12 hits, 11 were singles. Given how tough Savannah plays for lefty hitters, that could be par for the course during Sand Gnats home games, though Savannah played about half its games in either Greensboro and Lakewood this week.

[G-Fafif]

Rubin all over Nimmo's start.

Nimmo, the Mets' first-round pick (13th overall) in 2011, took a South Atlantic League-leading .424 batting average back home with him. "It's baseball, so we're going to go through cold streaks and hot streaks," Nimmo said. "This is a hot streak right now. I'm going to go through a period where I'm not doing very well. We're just going to try to keep this going as long as possible, just be consistent. But, yeah, there's a reason people don't hit .400 in baseball." Said Savannah manager Luis Rojas: "You could see his talent is just kicking in as he's seeing higher-level competition. He's going to get better and better. Each time he keeps moving up the ladder and sees better competition, he's going to be up right there with it." Nimmo signed for $2.1 million on Aug. 15, 2011 -- just before the midnight deadline. Holding out until the final moment, which yielded Nimmo about $500,000 over slot for the pick, did deprive him of a couple of months of playing in the Gulf Coast League at the end of that season. That experience might have been particularly valuable to Nimmo, since he hails from Wyoming and primarily had been playing American Legion ball as an amateur. Minus that experience, Nimmo had a relatively steep learning curve with Brooklyn last year -- although he continually improved as the New York-Penn League season went on and he got more acclimated. He finished with a .248 average, six homers and 40 RBIs in 266 at-bats. "It could have been something, but that's not how the cards played out," Nimmo said about the decision to wait until the final moment to sign. "I'm pretty happy with where we are right now. I think I'm just going to continue to need more reps and face more pitchers. Really, it was just a huge jump from high school to the New York-Penn League. All of a sudden now you're facing the best out of college. It just took me a little bit to adjust and see it every day." How did the 20-year-old Nimmo improve as last season went on? "The game kind of slowed down," he said. "The more you see something, the more repetitions you get, the easier it becomes. And that made it more like back when I was playing Legion ball. I was able to react to things and think things ahead instead of just being a step behind the whole time. At the beginning of the year I was feeling my way around, still trying to get my feet wet on how this routine works. June was the first time I had ever really played a night game in pro ball. I didn't know how that routine worked. "We didn't show up six hours before the game in Legion ball. We'd show up an hour, two hours before. I maybe hit in the cage and then went out and played. Now, it's your job and you're playing against high-level competition every day. You have to get ready mentally and physically. It's just a little different way of getting ready."

[G-Fafif]

Just chillin' on the DL since his start. Hasn't played since April 29.

[G-Fafif]

Nimmo is healthy, playing and a South Atlantic League all-star, rewarded for his .314, 1 HR, 16 RBIs start.

[Vic Sage]

1 HR? in how many ABs?

[Frayed Knot]

Vic Sage wrote: 1 HR? in how many ABs?

118.
It's not much but ...
- he;s just back after missing over a month of a two-month season
- power is usually the last thing to come around with young'uns
- Savannah is maybe the best pitching park in that league

[Vic Sage]

There are always reasons. But 1 hr in 118 ABs is shit unless your a slick-fielding SS.

[G-Fafif]

Via @MetsProspectHub:

Brandon Nimmo last 10 games: .359/.419/.487/.906, 14 for 39, 5 runs, 3 2b, 3b, 7 RBI, 3/13 BB/K

[G-Fafif]

The Hostess City gets to know its guest, who's no Wyoming cupcake.

The transition from a small town in Wyoming to the Hostess City? "Yeah, I grew up in a town of about 60,000. Yeah, Savannah is a lot bigger, but Savannah is pretty spread out. This is definitely my comfort zone playing here in Savannah. I think Savannah is a great city, it's absolutely beautiful and I've had nothing but great experiences here so far," said Brandon Nimmo.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I guess it's good that he's able to handle a town the size of Savannah, Georgia.

[G-Fafif]

Vote Nimmo.

[G-Fafif]

Brandon would like to come to Citi Field in July, Futures-wise.

"Just to get to know the fans, get to be around them and have them see me play would be a great experience," Nimmo said. "There's plenty to be learned and plenty for fans to see, so I think it would be a beneficial experience for everyone.

[Guest Swan Swan H]

And so he will.

New York Mets ✔ @Mets The votes are in. Congrats to @You_Found_Nimmo! We'll see you at Citi Field on July 14 for the @MLBFutures game! pic.twitter.com/42akHwt2gc 2:14 PM - 1 Jul 2013

[Benjamin Grimm]

Great job, cougars!

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Usually fans have themselves to blame for so-called overhype but a corporate marketing push for a 20-year-old with fairly middling stats into an All-Star Game supposed to be showcasing tomorrow's stars is pretty egregious. I have enough problems being told to #VoteMets even when its the right decision.

[Guest themetfairy]

Congrats Nimmo!

[G-Fafif]

Futures kid had a good time.

Mets prospect Brandon Nimmo, an outfielder at Class-A Savannah, got David Wright’s locker at Citi Field for the Futures Game. It was a pleasant surprise for the 20-year-old, who didn’t realize it until clubhouse personnel told him. “I really appreciate it and hopefully some of David’s mojo and good luck can rub off on me,” Nimmo said, grinning. “I appreciate the gesture.” When asked about it in Pittsburgh, the Mets star had some fun with it. “That’s prime real estate,” Wright quipped. “I like my locker. They gave it away? I thought they were gonna rope it off. No, that’s nice. I’ve talked to him a few times, he seems like a nice kid. It’s well-deserved. “But I hope he doesn't touch my stuff.” Nimmo, who was 0-for-2 in the game, has been to Citi Field before, taking batting practice here after he signed in 2011. “I’m excited,” he said. “Hopefully, the first of many to come.”

When I sat it on the conference call the Mets held with Nimmo when they were plugging his Futures candidacy, I thought his responses were very Wrightlike, which I took as a good thing.

[Guest themetfairy]

G-Fafif wrote: When I sat it on the conference call the Mets held with Nimmo when they were plugging his Futures candidacy, I thought his responses were very Wrightlike, which I took as a good thing.

That's very good to hear!

I found Nimmo during the Futures Game -

[G-Fafif]

How ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm once they've seen Citi Field? By striking them out a lot. Rubin reports:

After a torrid start, 2011 first-round pick Brandon Nimmo’s average has dipped to .261 with Savannah. Nimmo has struck out 99 times in 283 at-bats.

[G-Fafif]

Rising Apple checks in.

Last night in Savannah, Mets minor league centerfielder Brandon Nimmo went 3 for 4, capping off his solid night with a booming eighth inning homerun out of Historic Grayson Stadium. It was the kind of game you would expect from a former first round draft pick playing in low A ball. Except it hasn’t been the routine. Not even close. It’s been a rough season for the former Wyoming standout. After streaking to a .322 batting average in the month of April, Nimmo has battled nagging hand injuries and staggeringly poor play to find himself fielding a mediocre .249 average and .709 OPS entering play Monday. Those numbers are the not the scary part; Nimmo is only 20 and, not having played high school baseball, was expected to take a while to develop. The frightening part for fans and the organization has been a strikeout rate that would make Adam Dunn cringe. Forecasters of potential batting average in the big leagues, strikeout rates have long been used as barometers of success in the minors. This is bad news for Nimmo, who ranks 15th in the SAL with 108 strikeouts, despite having fewer at bats than any other hitter in the top 30. He owns a 30% strikeout rate overall and his 33% rate since the end of April is worse than such whiffing kings as Mike Napoli, Mark Reynolds, and Dan Uggla. As evidenced by the aforementioned hitters’ power numbers, the only way to maintain such astronomical rates, and the inevitably low batting averages that they induce, while still being a productive player is to hit the long ball. Considering that Nimmo has only gone yard twice all year, and that even the most optimistic of scouts only peg him as a future 15-25 home run hitter, Brandon will have to cut down on the strikeouts if he is to become a major league regular. Yet improvement may be just on the horizon. Nimmo suffered a bruise hand that sent him to the disabled list back on April 29th, and while he spent a month rehabbing it before returning, there may still be lingering effects. As Toby Hyde of Mets Minor League Blog notes, the weakened hands could prevent Nimmo from turning on the ball, allowing pitchers to strike him out on fastballs inside. As his hand heals, his strikeouts numbers should decrease, and his hitting improve. Last night’s game was his best offensive performance of the year and in just these past ten days, a healthier Nimmo has shown flashes of his immense talent, walking 13 times en route to .457 on base percentage and an .881 OPS. Nevertheless, it is important to remember that Brandon is still very young and very raw. The Mets understood that his development would take years when they handed him 2 million dollars out of the first round in 2012. They also understood that like all unpolished prep hitters, Nimmo was a gamble who could turn into a perennial all star but could also never make it out of A ball.

[Benjamin Grimm]

It’s been a rough season for the former Wyoming standout. After streaking to a .322 batting average in the month of April...

Does that mean that he played naked in April?

[G-Fafif]

Adam Rubin noted last night that Nimmo is batting a Williamsesque .406 in August, 26 for 64.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Any home runs?

[MFS62]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Any home runs?

I think he has 2 for the season.

Later

[G-Fafif]

Nimmo 4-for-7 w/4 RBIs in first round of Sally League playoff, which S-Gnats swept.

[G-Fafif]

Sally League champ heading to instructional league this week. Final slash at Savannah for 2013: 273/.397/.359.