By Mark Halpern and Mike Rifkin
The New York Mets currently sit in first place in the National League East. One of the things the Mets had going for them going into the offseason was that they had figured out part of their core going forward However there is a player who has the greatest smile and not matter what the situation is he is busting it out of the box after a hit, charging hard from center field or after being walked doesn’t, walk, does not trot but, he runs to the bag. We are talking about Brandon NImmo. The burning question on the minds of Mets fans is when are they going to extend Nimmo? Nimmo didn’t want it to cause a distraction after the lockout and is committed to sitting with the Mets hierarchy and trying to work out a deal before the end of the season.
Brandon Nimmo, who was the Mets first round pick in 2011 (13th overall). Nimmo will be a free agent after the season. In 38 games so far this year Nimmo has a slash line of .293/.390/.450. In his career Nimmo’s slash line is .269/.392/.446. Nimmo isn’t a power hitter, but he gets on base and in today’s game that is what’s important because small ball is still a big part of Showalter’s knowledge. Nimmo runs everything out which helped the Mets in their 2-0 win on Sunday in Colorado. On a base hit to right field the ball wasn’t handled by the right fielder and Nimmo wound up on third base and scored the go ahead run on a base hit by Francisco Lindor. Now if Nimmo wasn’t hustling he doesn’t get to third base and who knows what the outcome of the game would be.
Nimmo also has turned himself into an average to above average Center Fielder. Last season Nimmo had four defensive runs saved, and when the Mets signed Starling Marte to a four year 78 million dollar contract during the offseason everyone thought Marte would play Center and Nimmo would be bumped to a corner and that has not been the case. Starling Marte has had experience in right field and has had a good season and this has made it easy to leave Nimmo where he feels most comfortable.
. The question becomes what is he worth? As one of the best lead off hitters in the game and getting to be even better in the field I am thinking a 7 year 75mil (10.75 mil a year) could get it done but the number could be higher. Just because he isn’t a 30 Home Run, 100 RBI, or 30 stolen bases doesn’t mean he doesn’t make it up in other ways. Two elite center fielders signed massive contracts the last two offseasons. George Springer signed a six year 150 million dollar deal with the Blue Jays last offseason. Springer had been a big reason for the success of the Houston Astros over the past few seasons before signing with Toronto. Byron Buxton signed a seven year 100 million dollar deal with the Twins this offseason. Buxton, a former number one overall pick has had a hard time staying healthy throughout his career, but when healthy he is a very dynamic player. If the Mets want to re-sign Nimmo these are two contracts to look at because they could give him the Springer six years and Buxton’s 100 million. Brandon’s power numbers are not even close to what these two superstars are. Nimmo is loved not just by his teammate, but by all the fans as well. Fans love Nimmo’s enthusiasm on the field and his hard work.
The Mets have a great thing going here and this team is committed to a “Never Quit” attitude. Nimmo is one of these players who can get a team hyped. His love of the game should make him a prominent Met for years to come.
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