FINDING NIMMO MORE AT-BATS
Nimmo has become fan, team favorite making lineup decisions even tougher
Brandon Nimmo sprinted to first base and pointed skyward to celebrate. He had merely drawn a walk in a pinch-hitting appearance in the seventh inning of a recent tie-game to give the Mets a base runner, but to Nimmo it was a big deal.
For the 25-year-old outfielder there is no such thing as a small deal on the baseball field. He is Mr. Energetic, full of positive energy and fast becoming the people’s choice for a fan base that craves another homebred colt to join Michael Conforto in the lineup.
“I don’t play that much, so I get to have a lot of energy,” Nimmo said.
Among the daily quandaries manager Mickey Callaway faces is how best to utilize Nimmo, who could be a starter for several teams, but with the Mets is filling a fifth outfielder’s role, behind Conforto, Yoenis Cespedes, Jay Bruce and Juan Lagares.
The logjam has left Callaway to become creative, with the idea of shifting Bruce to first base occasionally to get Nimmo’s bat in the lineup more often. Nimmo, with an eye-popping 1.051 OPS in 43 plate appearances this season seems worthy of such a maneuver.
The poster child for the organization’s disciplined hitting approach, Nimmo will carry a .488 on-base percentage into Tuesday’s game against the Braves at Citi Field.
“Just great at-bats,” Callaway said, when asked about the energy Nimmo brings to the team. “His approach never changes whether he sits for three days in a row or whatever, so I definitely feel like he brings a lot of energy.”
Nimmo, the Mets’ top pick in the 2011 draft, takes pride in his reputation as a high-energy player.
“I hope that is part of the reason I am here, to bring a positive energy during the game however it might be,” Nimmo said. “Just try to be able to spread that energy a little bit and spread that light, and so any time I go out there I want to make a positive impact on the guys and honestly any time I get on base or I get another hit I am like, ‘ That is another one to add to the confidence.’ ”
Home-run hitters often carry the moniker “slugger,” but Nimmo doesn’t aspire to become that type of player. He would rather be known as a grinder who helps the team win in any fashion.
“I am trying to work every day to get on base, because that is my knack, that is what I’m good at and you have got to identify what you’re good at and what you want to value yourself as,” Nimmo said. “And I like to get on base because I can do a lot of things when I get on base, and I can help out and that is any way possible. I don’t care if I’m hit by a pitch or I walk, I just want to get on base.”
Such an approach has transformed Nimmo into a popular Mets player, despite his limited role. It’s evident at the ballpark, where he receives some of the loudest cheers, but it is most visi- ble on social media, where fans have come to embrace his wholesome nature and baseball talent.
Nimmo said he appreciates the love he has received from the fans.
“I have been getting a lot of support when I go and sign [autographs], people are saying, ‘Hey, we love you. We would love to see you in the lineup more often.’ ” Nimmo said. “That’s awesome. I love it. But I am just trying to treat them how I want to be treated and honestly I am only dealing with so many people. Even if I go out there and sign for 15 minutes, I am getting 50 people maybe. So there is a lot bigger fan base than that. I try to not look too much on social media.”
In the end, Nimmo views himself as one of the fans.
“I want the same thing the fans want,” he said. “We all want to win a World Series and we’re all pulling in that direction and that is something we are all real excited about.”