Brandon Tate Nimmo (born March 27, 1993) is an American
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Mod ...
outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...
for the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
of
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB). He was drafted by the Mets in the first round of the
2011 MLB draft, and made his MLB debut with them in 2016.
Early life and education
Nimmo was born to Ron, a certified public accountant from
La Junta, Colorado
La Junta is a home rule municipality in , the county seat of, and the most populous municipality of Otero County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 7,322 at the 2020 United States Census. La Junta is located on the Arkansas Ri ...
, and Patti Nimmo in
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne ( or ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming, as well as the county seat of Laramie County, with 65,132 residents, per the 2020 US Census. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne metropolitan statistical ...
. He has a brother, Bryce (who had a successful college baseball career at the University of Nebraska), and a sister, Kristen. He wanted to be a
bull rider
Bull riding is a rodeo sport that involves a rider getting on a bucking bull and attempting to stay mounted while the animal tries to buck off the rider.
American bull riding has been called "the most dangerous eight seconds in sports." To recei ...
as a child.
He grew up a
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...
fan.
Nimmo attended
Cheyenne East High School
Cheyenne East High School is a public high school (grades 9-12) located in Cheyenne, Wyoming, United States, It serves Laramie County School District #1. The school enrolls students who attended Carey JHS, Alta Vista ES, Anderson ES, Baggs ES, Buf ...
in Cheyenne. As
Wyoming
Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...
is one of only three states that do not offer high school baseball, Nimmo played
American Legion Baseball. In , he batted .448 with 15
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
s and 34
stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...
s in 70 games for his club, Post 6.
The Mets scouted Nimmo's Legion games and other events.
One such event was the 2010
Under Armour All-America Baseball Game
The Under Armour High School All-America Baseball Game is a high school baseball all-star game held annually to spotlight the United States' top high school players who are juniors or seniors. The game is played in late July or August, at Wrigley ...
at
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghman's Chicago Wh ...
, where Nimmo went 2-for-4 with a
triple
Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a " treble":
Sports
* Triple (baseball), a three-base hit
* A basketball three-point field goal
* A figure skating jump with three rotations
* In bowling terms, three strikes in a row
* ...
, two
runs scored and two
runs batted in
A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...
to earn co-MVP honors with
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
Nick Burdi
Nicholas Edward Burdi (born January 19, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Chicago Cubs organization. He played college baseball for the Louisville Cardinals baseball, Louisville Cardinals of the University of Louisville. ...
.
''
Baseball America
''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...
'' ranked Nimmo among the Top 50 prospects for the 2011 draft at number 35.
When the Mets selected Nimmo with the 13th overall pick in , he became the highest-drafted Wyomingite in the history of the
Major League Baseball Draft
The first-year player draft is the primary mechanism of Major League Baseball (MLB) for assigning amateur baseball players from high schools, colleges, and other amateur baseball clubs to its teams. The draft order is determined based on a lo ...
.
Of the 13 players selected from Wyoming high schools, the previous highest pick was pitcher Michael Beaver, selected by the
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...
in the sixth round (109th overall) of the
1966 Major League Baseball draft.
Nimmo signed for $2.1 million at the age of 18. If left unsigned, he had a verbal commitment to attend the
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...
.
Professional career
Minor league career
![Brandonnimmo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Brandonnimmo.jpg)
Nimmo played ten games with the
Gulf Coast Mets
The Florida Complex League Mets are a Rookie-level affiliate for the New York Mets, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Mets. The team plays its home games a ...
and the
Kingsport Mets
The Kingsport Mets were a Minor League Baseball team of the Appalachian League from 1921 to 2020. They were located in Kingsport, Tennessee, and were last named for the team's major league affiliate, the New York Mets. The team played its home ga ...
towards the end of the season. He combined to hit .211 with four
runs batted in
A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...
. He spent the following season with the
Class A-Short Season
Class A Short Season (officially Short-Season A) was a level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States from 1965 through 2020. In the hierarchy of minor league classifications, it was below Triple-A, Double-A, Class A-Advanced (cre ...
Brooklyn Cyclones
The Brooklyn Cyclones are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, and play at Maimonides Park, just off the Coney Island Boar ...
of the
New York–Penn League
The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...
. On July 30, Nimmo posted the first four-hit game of his career, falling just a triple short of the cycle, with three runs scored and two RBIs to lead the Cyclones in a 10–5 win over the
Mahoning Valley Scrappers
The Mahoning Valley Scrappers are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Niles, Ohio, a city in the valley of the Mahoning River, and play their home games at Eastwood Field. From 1999 to 2020, they were ...
. On August 18, Nimmo capped a career-high six-RBI night with his second
grand slam
Grand Slam most often refers to:
* Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves
Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to:
Games and sports
* Grand slam, winning category te ...
of the season.
Nimmo was the only player in the New York–Penn League with two grand slams in , his first coming on June 30.
For the season, Nimmo batted .248 with six home runs and forty RBIs in 266 at bats. Nimmo placed fourth in
doubles and fifth in RBIs for the New York–Penn League.
Nimmo began the season with the
Class-A Savannah Sand Gnats
The Savannah Sand Gnats were a minor league baseball team based in Savannah, Georgia. They were a member of the A-level South Atlantic League. The Sand Gnats were an affiliate of the New York Mets in their final nine seasons. The team relocated ...
and was ranked fourth among Mets prospects. By April 17, Nimmo was the leading hitter in the
South Atlantic League
The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...
with a .447
batting average
Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic.
Cricket
In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
, earning him a SAL mid-season All-Star nod. He was also voted into the
All-Star Futures Game
The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League ...
held at the Mets'
Citi Field
Citi Field is a baseball stadium located in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in New York City, United States. It opened in 2009 and is the home field of Major League Baseball's New York Mets. The stadium was built as a replacement for the adjacent ...
.
By season's end, his batting average fell to .273 with two home runs and forty RBIs. His performance at the plate was considered underwhelming as he averaged more than a strikeout per game.
His numbers may have been hampered by a spacious home ballpark in Savannah that's tough on lefty power hitters, as well as a wrist injury that caused him to miss some games.
[
Nimmo started the season with Class-A Advanced St. Lucie Mets of the ]Florida State League
The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...
. After batting .322 with four home runs, 25 RBIs, a .448 on-base percentage
In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batter reaches base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA), as it is rarely presented as a ...
and .458 slugging percentage
In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at bats for a given player, ...
to earn FSL All-Star honors, he received a mid-season promotion to Double-A Binghamton Mets
The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Binghamton, New York. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets major-league club. The Rumble Ponies play in Mirab ...
on June 19. Between his two clubs, Nimmo posted a .278 average, 10 home runs and 51 RBI.
After a brief four game stint with St. Lucie at the start of the season, Nimmo was promoted to the Binghamton Mets
The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Binghamton, New York. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets major-league club. The Rumble Ponies play in Mirab ...
. He suffered a knee injury on April 29 that caused him to miss some playing time. Prior to the knee injury, Nimmo was batting .297 with a .368 on-base percentage and a .420 slugging percentage in 34 games. On July 28, it was announced that Nimmo was promoted to the Mets Triple-A affiliate, Las Vegas 51s as the starting center fielder
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the c ...
. Once again, his season was interrupted by injury when he fouled a baseball off his nose in a batting cage. The Mets added him to their 40-man roster after the season to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.
Major league career
2016
Nimmo began the season with the Las Vegas 51s; through 250 at bats he was hitting .328 with five home runs and 37 RBIs. Nimmo was promoted to the Major Leagues on June 25 to replace the slumping Michael Conforto
Michael Thomas Conforto (born March 1, 1993), nicknamed "Scooter", is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets. After he played college baseball for the ...
whose batting average had fallen to .130 since May 1. He made his major league debut the next day against the Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...
and went 0-for-4. On June 27, his second game, Nimmo recorded his first hit and his first run against Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...
pitcher Joe Ross and went 2-4 overall. On July 1, he hit his first home run, a three-run homer against Jason Hammel
Jason Aaron Hammel (born September 2, 1982) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays, Colorado Rockies, Baltimore Orioles, Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, ...
of the Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
, making the game 7–1 in the bottom of the fourth inning. On July 17, Nimmo was sent down to the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s after batting .235 with one home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
and four RBIs
A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...
in 51 at-bats. On July 29, Nimmo was once again promoted after Juan Lagares
Juan Osvaldo Lagares (born March 17, 1989) is a Dominican professional baseball center fielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets and Los Angeles Angels, and in the KBO League for the SSG Land ...
suffered a torn thumb ligament and undertook surgery to repair the injury.
2017–18
In 2017, Brandon Nimmo was chosen to be part of Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic
The World Baseball Classic (WBC) is an international baseball tournament sanctioned from 2006 to 2013 by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and after 2013 by World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) in partnership with Major Lea ...
. While playing in the World Baseball Classic, Nimmo strained his right hamstring
In human anatomy, a hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in between the hip and the knee (from medial to lateral: semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris). The hamstrings are susceptible to injury.
In quadrupeds, ...
. The injury left him unable to join the Mets Opening Day roster, and when he recovered in late April, he began his season in the minor leagues. He remained with Las Vegas until June 16, when injuries to Juan Lagares
Juan Osvaldo Lagares (born March 17, 1989) is a Dominican professional baseball center fielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets and Los Angeles Angels, and in the KBO League for the SSG Land ...
and Matt Harvey
Matthew Edward Harvey (born March 27, 1989), nicknamed The Dark Knight, is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds, ...
led to Nimmo and Matt Reynolds returning to the Major Leagues. Nimmo started strong, hitting .350/.458/.400 over 24 plate appearances. However, he was placed on the disabled list
In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL).
General guidelines
...
with a partially collapsed lung on July 8 and would not return until July 28. Nimmo would finish the 2017 season appearing in 69 games for the Mets, batting .260/.379/.418 with 5 home runs. Late in the year, hitting coaches Kevin Long and Pat Roessler
Patrick Alan Roessler (born December 27, 1959 in Phoenix, AZ) is an American professional baseball coach. He is currently the Assistant Hitting Coach for the Washington Nationals. He was formerly the Assistant Hitting Coach for the New York Mets ...
suggested that Nimmo try hitting without his front foot striding forward. Nimmo took the suggestion, which allowed his front foot to turn open and generate better hip rotation. Up until that August, Nimmo had slugged .346 in his career. He slugged .479 in September and continued to show increased power in 2018, slugging over .500 through the season's first two months. In 2018, Nimmo batted .263/.404/.483, with 17 home runs and 47 RBI. He led the majors in hit by pitch
In baseball, hit by pitch (HBP) is an event in which a batter or his clothing or equipment (other than his bat) is struck directly by a pitch from the pitcher; the batter is called a hit batsman (HB). A hit batsman is awarded first base, provided ...
, with 20.
2019
On April 17, 2019, Nimmo was taken out of the first inning of a game due to a stiff neck, and missed two games. On May 21, he once again experienced neck stiffness and went on the injured list. He was later found to have a bulging disk in his neck and went through a rough rehabilitation assignment, not appearing in the Mets' lineup again until September 1. In 2019, Nimmo batted .221/.375/.407 with 8 home runs and 29 RBIs in 69 games. He had the fastest home run trot of all major league players, at 17.7 seconds.
2020
In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Nimmo hit .280/.404/.484 with 8 home runs and 18 RBIs in 55 games.
2021
In 2021, Nimmo missed most of May and all of June due to a bruised hand. He returned to the active roster in July, but suffered a hamstring strain on September 4 and missed two weeks. He finished the 2021 season batting .292/.401/.437 with 8 home runs and 28 RBIs in 92 games.
2022
On December 10, 2022, Nimmo signed an 8-year contract worth $162 million dollars to remain with the Mets.
Personal life
Nimmo married Chelsea Bradley in November 2017 in Savannah, Georgia
Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...
. Nimmo is a Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nimmo, Brandon
1993 births
Living people
American people of Scottish descent
Baseball players from Wyoming
Binghamton Mets players
Brooklyn Cyclones players
Gulf Coast Mets players
Kingsport Mets players
Las Vegas 51s players
Major League Baseball outfielders
New York Mets players
Savannah Sand Gnats players
Scottsdale Scorpions players
Sportspeople from Cheyenne, Wyoming
St. Lucie Mets players
2017 World Baseball Classic players
Syracuse Mets players
American Christians