The New York Mets’ decision to keep outfielder Brandon Nimmo around by signing him to an eight-year deal this winter is looking wiser by the game. He is just five home runs away from setting a new career high and is on pace for a career-best in RBIs too.
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Through Wednesday, Nimmo ranks second on the team with a .276 batting average, third in RBIs (41), first in on-base percentage (.373) and first in total bases (150). Never known for his power, the former first-round draft pick hit double-digit home runs only twice in his first seven big league seasons, all with the Mets.
That’s changed in 2023. He’s gone yard 13 times in 84 games, with five of those home runs coming in his last eight contests. His most recent home run came against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday.
Solo shot for @You_Found_Nimmo! pic.twitter.com/P8iiaWNU2x
— New York Mets (@Mets) July 4, 2023
Mets manager Buck Showalter thinks Nimmo should have been selected to his first All-Star Game. He believes part of the reason Nimmo wasn’t could be because the Mets (40-46) are having a down year. Regardless, he continues to come up big for the Mets.
“He’s been a guy through thick and thin that has always seemed to deliver what we’re in need of, so we’re proud of the year he’s having,” Showalter said about Nimmo on Wednesday.
Buck Showalter was asked where Brandon Nimmo's power surge has come from:
"His body. Nimm's always had power" pic.twitter.com/RoZgCidhug
— SNY (@SNYtv) July 5, 2023
Though his numbers may not have shown it, Nimmo believed he was capable of hitting for more power and wanted to make it a bigger part of his game.
“I knew it was inside of me,” he told SNY in a recent interview. “The Mets have been patient with me throughout my career and allowed me the opportunities to become better and I’ve tried to take advantage of those and this is just another aspect that I was trying to add to my game, so [I’m] very happy that we’re getting some results.”
To help him handle the mental side of baseball more effectively, Nimmo has also leaned on his faith in God. He references his faith on social media and lists “Christian” first in his Instagram and Twitter bios.
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As he goes through the highs and lows of an MLB season, Nimmo tries to emulate Christ in the way he carries himself every day.
“Baseball is a game of failure, so you’re going to have ups and downs,” he said in April in an interview with Christian Broadcasting Network. “You’re going to be upset about your failures. This is how Jesus would want you to act, you know? How I just conduct myself on an everyday basis of trying to have more patience and be slow to anger. Learn from the Bible and what it teaches us. I think it helps deal with the failure of baseball in a much healthier way.”
No matter what is happening on the field, his ultimate goal is to serve and love others as best he can.
“Sometimes I find in this life we’re going so fast, we forget that we’re placed on this earth in order to help each other,” he told CBN. “The ultimate sacrifice was Jesus dying on the cross for our sins. He made the greatest example by showing us that true love and true purpose down here is sacrifice. What did Jesus do in this situation and how can I try and be better and be more like Him? Those little moments can make the biggest impacts.”
They Mets wrap up their series against the Diamondbacks on Thursday, with the first pitch from Chase Field scheduled for 9:40 p.m. ET.
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