Brandon Nimmo: Italian / American Mets Outfielder ( 2016 - 2024)

Brandon Nimmo
was born March 27th, 1993, in Cheyenne Wyoming. 
Nimmo grew up a fan of the Colorado Rockies & originally wanted to be a bull rider. 

The six-foot three left hand hitting outfielder, was the first draft pick of Sandy Alderson's as General Manager of the New York Mets.

He is also the highest player ever drafted out of the state of Wyoming, as the Mets number one pick (13th overall) in 2011. He was certainly a gamble since his high school didn't even have a baseball team.

A Ball: He spent 2011 with the Gulf Coast Mets & Kingsport Mets. That year he was ranked 35 in Baseball America's Top 50 prospects.

Brooklyn Cyclones: In 2012 he was playing with the Brooklyn Cyclones leading the team with 40 RBIs & second to Kevin Plawecki with 6 HRs, while hitting .248.

That year on August 18th, he had a six RBI game topped off by his him hitting second grand slam of the year. He was the only player in the NY Penn. League to hit two grand slams that season. He was 4th in the NY Penn. League in doubles & fifth in RBIs.

Nimmo was known more of an RBI man with power as opposed to a hitter who hits for average. 



He spent 2013 batting .279 at A ball Savannah, where struck out 131 times in 395 at bats. He was still selected to those years All Star Futures Game held at Citi Field. 

AA Career: He started out 2014 with the St. Lucie Mets batting a career best .322 in 62 games. He then moved up to AA Binghamton where he hit 6 HRs with 26 RBIs in 65 games.

After a short four games at St. Lucie in 2015 he was back at AA Binghamton where he suffered a knee injury that caused him to miss some time. In 68 games he hit well at .279 with 2 HRs & 16 RBIs.  

AAA Las Vegas: He was soon promoted to the AAA Las Vegas 51s where he was named the teams starting center fielder. Another injury where he fouled a ball off his nose slowed up his progress, in 32 games he hit 3 HRs with 3 doubles 8 RBIs while batting .264.

The Mets added him to their club after the season, protecting him from the Rule V draft. In January he tore a tendon & had to wear a protective boot which came off in late February.

Quotes- Brandon Nimmo:
  " It wasn't one specific movement, I went, worked out, did the conditioning movements, weightlifting and even hit. Went and ate lunch, was fine. Went and sat on the couch for an hour & got up and felt like my foot had been broken. It just came on very acutely. Tried to let it rest for a week but then it was still bothering me."


"I definitely came into this season wanting to try to help make an impact for this team, especially watching it all unfold from home this past offseason for me, but during the playoffs for them. It looked like something special. It's a special group of guys that we have now and something that I definitely want to be a part of. I just want to help the team do the best that they can and hopefully win a World Series."


Nimmo started the 2016 season at AAA Las Vegas, in 63 games he batted .328 with 16 doubles 7 triples 5 HRs with 26 RBIs & a .409 on base % in 63 games. 

MLB Career: On June 25th Nimmo was called up to the major leagues as the Mets sent Michael Conforto down to AAA Las Vegas in order to work out things out.

When Las Vegas manager Wally Backman called Nimmo in to his office he told him he was pleased with his play & development. 

The bad news was there no room for him on the team charter from Reno to Las Vegas & he would need to take a separate flight. 


The good-natured kid said OK & started walking away when Backman told him, that that flight was going to Atlanta.

Quotes- Brandon Nimmo: “It took a long time for it to set in. I was in shock. I didn’t really know how to feel because it’s something I’ve been working for a long time, something I always prayed about, something I always dreamed about. It seemed like something I was always reaching for, and to finally be here, it’s something I’m no longer reaching for. It’s a childhood dream that has come to fruition. It’s hard to put into words.”

Mets Career: Nimmo made his MLB debut on June 25th, starting in right field & batting 7th, going 0-4 in the Mets 5-2 loss at Atlanta.

The next day he got his first two career hits, coming off The Nats Joe Ross in Washington, in another Mets loss. Nimmo would start off his career with a hot streak, hitting safely in eight of the next ten games he appeared in.


On July 1st he hit his first career HR, coming against the Chicago Cubs, where the Citi Field fans demanded a curtain call from the youngster. It was also his first multi-RBI game.

His average would peak at .280 before falling off & he would drive in runs in just two more games. He was sent back down to AAA Vegas from August 5th but returned as a September call up, when Juan Lagares went down with a torn thumb. 

Nimmo contributed to the Mets Wild Card run going 4-9 as a pinch hitter & scoring four runs in the month.

In 32 games he batted .274 with one HR, a double, 12 runs scored & six RBIs with a .338 on base %.

In the off season he appeared at Citi Field for the Mets annual Christmas drive with Jose Reyes & Santa Claud; Noah Syndergaard- aka. Synder Claus.  

WBC: Nimmo was chosen to play centerfield for Team Italy in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.

In an exciting first round win over Mexico, where the Italian team scored five runs in the bottom of the 9th inning, Nimmo drove in a run with a 9th inning base hit off former Met Oliver Perez. 

With the bases loaded, John Andreoli singled home the walk off runs, as an excited Nimmo rounded the bases.


In the Saturday game against Venezuela, Nimmo hit a HR, but then later was removed from the game where he had suffered a hamstring injury chasing down a triple in the outfield. 



2017 Season: Nimmo missed the Mets 2017 Opening Day & began the season in the minor leagues. He got back to the Mets in mid-June & started out batting .350 in his first 25 plate appearances. 

He then suffered another injury with a partially collapsed lung, setting him back until August.

At that point hitting coaches Kevin Long & Pat Roessler advised Nimmo to change his stance at the plate to not stride his foot forward. 

His slugging improved in September & well throughout the 2018 season. In September 2017 he hit four of his 5 HRs & drove in 14 runs, he had only driven in seven runs all season before that.

He ended 2017 with 46 hits batting .260 with a .379 on base % & a .418 slugging %. He hit 5 HRs with 11 doubles a triple & 33 walks in 69 games.

2018 Season: In 2018 Nimmo took advantage of Mets outfield injuries & made himself a regular in the outfield, playing in 140 games, 62 in right field -44 in center field & 32 in leftfield. 

His ability to get on base was his best asset, hitting,
walking & getting plunked with pitches, in which he led the league in that department.

On April 15th, Nimmo's hit his first HR of the year. It came in the bottom of the 6th inning tying up a game against the Milwaukee Brewers. A Wilmer Flores walk off won it for the Mets in the 9th inning.  A solid hitting April had him go into Mat batting .303. More importantly his on base % was at .478%.

On May 19th, Nimmo doubled in the bottom of the 9th, in a tie game against the Arizona D-backs. He advanced to third & then scored on Wilmer Flores sac fly to win it walk off style. 

He closed out the month hitting four HRs in the final week of May. All of them came in Mets losses, except a May 28th game where they beat the Braves in Atlanta.

On June 1st he collected two hits bringing in two runs in a loss to the Cubs, raising his on base % to .436%. He hit safely in all three games of the subway series at Citi Field, including a HR in the opener. '


On June 17th Nimmo homered collecting three
hits, helping the Mets with two RBIs in a 5-3 over Arizona.

 The next day in Colorado he blasted two HRs driving in four runs with four hits in a 12-2 Mets romp over the Rockies. 

He was now batting near .290 & holding a slugging % over .600%.He drove in runs in the next three games as well.

Walk Off HR: On July 11th, Nimmo hit a three-run walk off HR off pitcher Mark Leiter, to break a scoreless tie against the Philadelphia Phillies. He then had two more three hit games in the month. 

In August he hit two more HRs, another in the subway series 8-5 Mets win on August 13th. On August 15th he had a huge five hit day, driving in three runs in the Mets 16-5 win at Camden Yards in Baltimore. 

He missed some action in late August returning at the end of the month.

Pinch Hit HR: On September 3rd, his pinch hit three run HR off Kenta Maeda, broke a 1-1 tie & helped lead the Mets to a 4-2 win over the Dodgers in Los Angeles. 

On September 17th he hit another three run HR in Boston at Fenway Park. 

Nimmo closed out the 2018 season as one of the Mets best performers & promising players of the future. 

He led the NL with 22 hit by pitches & was second in the league in on base % (.404%) anything to get on base for Mr. Nimmo. He led the team in doubles (28) triples (8) tied with Amed Roasario for fourth in the NL, batted .264 with 114 hits 80 walks (9th in the NL) 17 HRs  47 RBIs 77 runs scored. 

He was second on the club with a .483 slugging % as well.

2019 Season: In 2019 he was in the Mets Opening Day lineup going 0-3 in the win over Washington. 

He had a slow start until mid-April, where he drove in runs in six of eight games & had 13 hits in an eight-game span. 

He had stiffness in his neck causing him to miss three games, but the problem would soon become bigger.

On May 21st, he once again had stiffness in his neck, this time resulting in a bulging disk, which put him on the inured list until September 1st. 

When he returned the Mets were in the heat of the wild card race.

Just two games back, he hit a HR and drove in two runs. He would hit four HRs in a ten game span in mid-month & drive in runs in 10 of 11 games. 

He finished the year batting .221 with 8 HRs 11 doubles 34 runs scored 46 walks 29 RBIs & a .375 on base % with three stolen bases in three attempts, playing in 69 games.

2020 Season: In Spring Training 2020 he started with a
good return batting .364 in his first 11 at bats. He had a scare with his heart but all tests proved ok & he was back in action. 

He stated that he has a 'controlled aggression approach. "The more pitches I see, the better I'm going to get at that & I'm just going to keep working on trying to fire on those pitches in the zone".

In the Covid 19 shortened season, Nimmo played in 55 games batting .280 with 52 hits 8 doubles 3 triples (4th most in the NL) 8 HRs 18 RBIs 33 walks (10th in the NL) & a .404 on base % (9th in the NL).

He began the year with a pair of hits on Opening Day & then closed out July with a six game hit streak. 

To begin August he walked in six straight games, including three in a August 5th win over the Nats. In that game he scored two runs in the Mets 3-1 win.

He hit HRs in two games against the Marlins in mid & late August, both resulting in wins. On August 28th he drove in a run in the subway series win, where Amed Roasario hit a walk off HR. 

On September 17th, he started a four run Mets 9th inning rally with a HR. The Mets entered the inning tied 6-6 with the Phillies in a game they won 10-6 in Philadelphia. 

During a six-game stretch that week he collected 11 hits with 6 RBIs & 4 runs scored.

Nimmo although not considered the best centerfielder defensively, had the Mets shopping a star centerfielder in the off season. But MLB Network, ranked Nimmo the 5th best all-around centerfielder in baseball.



2022:
  The Mets were an improved team & had high expectations going into the season. Nimmo was secured in the main centerfielder & leadoff man. Although he was a good lead hitter, he didn't steal any bases, which frustrated fans.

From April 11th to May 15th, he reached base in 26 straight games, including a career high eleven game hit streak.

On April 12th Nimmo hit a 5th inning HR off the Phillies Zack Wheeler in a 2-0 combined Mets shut out in Philadelphia. The next day he homered again in a 9-6 Mets win.

On April 25th, with the Mets down 2-0 in the top of the 9th inning in St. Louis, they started a five-run comeback with Nimmo topping it off with a two run HR off T.J. McFarland in the 5-2 win. In the April 29th Mets combined no hitter over the Phillies, Nimmo went 1-3 with a walk.

Seven Run Comeback: On May 5th, the Mets were down 7-1 to the Phillies in the top of the 9th inning when they began a dramatic season best seven run comeback. After the Mets scored four runs in the inning, Nimmo drove in two runs with a single off Corey Knebel tying up the game. Starling Marte doubled with Nimmo crossing the plate in the go-ahead winning run.

From May 5th to May 14th, Nimmo scored a run in seven of eight games with the Mets wining five
of them. On May 15th, Nimmo collected two hits driving in three runs in the Mets 8-7 loss to Seattle. It was the first of nine games he would reach the season high three RBIs in a game. He continued his hitting finishing up May batting .293. 

On June 10th, Nimmo homered off the Angels Andrew Waltz & then later hit a two run double leading the Mets to a 7-3 win. 

On July 4th, he hit a three run HR off the Reds Hunter Green in Cincinnati in a 7-4 Mets victory. Two days later he hit a three run HR in the 10th inning off the Reds Dauri Moreta in a 8-3 Mets win at Cincinnati. 

On July 29th, Nimmo came to bat in the top of the 8th inning of a tied game in South Florida. With Eduardo Escobar on first base, Nimmo hit a two run HR off Steve Okent leading the Mets to a 6-4 win. In the series finale, he had another multi-RBI game, driving in three runs for the sixth time of the year. In July Nimmo had ix games where he scored two runs or more.

On August 21st, the Mets went into the top of the 9th inning down 8-7 to the Phillies at Citizens
Bank Park. Mark Canha tied the game with a HR, then two batters later Nimmo homered off Tyler Cyr in what was the game winner. 

On August 27th, Nimmo led off a game with his 12th HR of the year, he later added an RBI double driving in three runs of 3-0 David Peterson combined shut out over the Rockies at Citi Field.

On August 31st, in an important 2-1 over the Dodgers at Citi Field, Nimmo robbed Justin Turner of a 7th inning game tying HR.


In the first ten games of September, Nimmo collected eleven hits, scoring seven runs with two HRs & nine RBIs. The Mets were still in first place but the lead dwindled as they struggled late in the season. 

On September 30th, they held just a one game lead as they went to Atlanta for a three-game set. In the disastrous series sweep they fell to two games back, as Nimmo collected a hit in each game of the Mets losses. 


In an October 4th double header, 
Nimmo hit two HRs & collected six RBIs in the much-needed sweep of the Nationals. In the first game he had a 2nd inning two run double & a 4th inning HR off Cory Abbott.

 He started out the second game of the double header with his 15t HR of the season. Francisco Lindor & Jeff McNeil followed with what was back-to-back to back HRs.

The Mets finished in a tie for first winning a wild card spot. On the year Nimmo led the NL in triples with seven. He batted .274 with a career high in doubles (30) & runs scored (102) hitting 16 HRs with 64 RBIs. He struck out 116 times walked 71 times posted a .367 on base % & .800 OPS.

In the outfield he had a perfect 1.000 fielding % leading all
centerfielders in games (151). He was named the Mets Heart & Hustle Award winner for 2022.

2022 Post Season: In the NLWC series he hit batted .333 (4-12) in the loss to the Padres. In Game #1 Nimmo collected a triple in the 7-1 loss. In Game #2 he had three hits with a walk & an RBI single off Blake Snell.

Long Term Deal: In December the Mets gave him an eight-year $162 million contract.

2023: On Opening Day, Nimmo broke a 3-3 tie in the 7th inning with a double off Tanner Scott
leading the Mets to the 5-3 win. On April 7th he drew four walks & scored two walks in a 9-3 win over the Marlins at Citi Field. From April 12th to April 19th, he had three multi-hit games.

On April 19th, he hit a two run HR off former teammate Noah Syndergaard, now with the
Dodgers in a 5-3 win at Los Angeles.

On May 5th, Nimmo hit a 4th inning HR off the Rockies Antonio Senzatela in a 1-0 combined shut out led by Kodai Senga at Citi Field. 

On May 10th, he broke up a 1-1 tie with a 4th inning RBI single off the Reds Hunter Green in what was a 2-1 Mets win over the Reds. Nimo would keep his batting average up at .300 until the end of May.

The Mets had fallen below .500 & would never regain form as the season became a big disappointment.

Grand Slam HR: On June 5th, Nimmo hit his first career grand slam HR. It came off the Braves Spencer Strider in a wild 13-10 Mets loss in Atlanta.



Subway Series Walk Off Hit:
In the June subway series, Nimmo led off with a HR off Luis Severino in a 7-6 Mets loss. The next day, with the Mets down 3-1 Nimmo was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the 7th inning starting a comeback. 

The Mets tied the game when Staling Marte singled in the next at bat. In the bottom of the 10th inning, Nimmo doubled off Nick Ramirez bringing home the walk off winning run.

Multi HR Game: On June 27th, he had the first of his multi-HR games coming in a 7-2 win over the Brewers. He led off the 4th inning with a solo shot off Julio Teheran & then hit a two-run shot in the 5th inning off Teheran as well.

On July 21st he hit a two-run 3rd inning HR at Fenway Park off Kutter Crawford, helping the
Mets & Kodai Senga in a 5-4 victory. Nimmo struggled thru the month seeing his average fall to .256

The Mets realized they were not going to compete & sold off the players who were not locked in for the long term.

On August 14 & 15th he had back-to-back HR games & would hit three in a five-game span with four RBIs. On September 1st, Nimmo helped Kodai Senga in another victory when he hit his 20th HR of the year in a 2-1 win over the Mariners at Citi Field.

Multi HR Game:
On September 5th, Nimmo had his second multi-HR game of the season, with solo shots off the Nat's Patrick Corbin & Amos Willingham in an 11-5 victory in Washington.

On September 9th, Nimo hit his fifth lead off HR of the season, coming in a loss at Minnesota.

In the final eight games of the season, Nimmo drove in eight runs, collecting four doubles, a triple & a HR scoring seven runs.

On the season Nimmo had career highs in hits (162) HRs (24) RBIs (68) doubles (30) & games played (152). He batted .274 with six triples 89 runs scored 74 walks, a .363 on base % & .829 OPS.

In the outfield he posted a .989 fielding % with three assists making four errors in 340 chances.

Career Stats: In his eight-year career he has 692 hits batting .270 with 87 HRs 136 doubles 29 triples 424 runs scored & 281 RBIs. Nimmo was hit by 36 pitches, drew 198 walks, struck out 675 times with a .390 on base % & .828 OPS. He has just 26 stole bases.

The all-around outfielder played 703 games in center, 157 games in left & 93 in right field.

Family: Brandon met Chelsea Bradley while playing for the Savannah Sand Gnats in 2013. In 2015 the two were engaged & in November 2017 they were married in Savannah, Georgia. Chelsea is a former professional softball player. She earned a BS in nursing from Valdosta State University in Georgia. He was an emergency room nurse & also is a nurse who provides home IV therapy. The couple are registered Republicans & devout Christians. 

In 2019 they played Mr. & Mrs. Claus at the Mets Christmas event for children. They have a pet dog.

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