Mets draft pick of Brandon Nimmo in 2011 was close to perfect

Over at MLB.com, Jim Callis put together a re-draft of the 2011 class. In this re-draft, the New York Mets end up with pitcher Sonny Gray. They land the Cincinnati Reds starter with the 13th overall selection—the one they had in real life.

The Mets, of course, didn’t actually pick Gray. They passed over him and he instead went to the Oakland Athletics with the 18th overall selection. The 13th overall selection in the 2011 draft was a guy Mets fans know very well, outfielder Brandon Nimmo.

Fortunately, at least according to Callis, the Mets weren’t so far off with this choice.

Brandon Nimmo was a great draft pick by the Mets in 2011

Looking a little further down this re-draft, we find the actual spot where Nimmo would/should have gone. He drops just three spots, going to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers drafted pitcher Chris Reed in this spot, a miss for them.

Through this re-draft, we see how well Nimmo’s career has turned out. He has, by Callis’ measure, been the 16th best player from the 2011 draft.

A few other current Mets actually made it onto the list as well and I think it’s worth acknowledging them. In this hypothetical draft, James McCann goes number 25 to the San Diego Padres rather than their selection of Joe Ross. Four picks later at 29, the San Francisco Giants select Seth Lugo instead of another name we know, Joe Panik.

In actuality, McCann would fall to the second round and end up with the Detroit Tigers. Lugo wouldn’t get picked until the 34th round of the draft.

Lugo was far from the lone accomplished player taken after round 10. Robert Gsellman may find himself in the doghouse with fans at times, but for a 13th round selection, he has performed well. Phillip Evans, the guy the Mets took in the 15th round, may blossom late, too.

Then there’s John Gant, a man the Mets recently faced. He’s a starting pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals now. His career began when he was drafted by New York in round 21.

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None of those guys have put together a career quite like what Nimmo has. The 13th overall pick by the Mets, they may not have gotten a steal, but they definitely seemed to add an important piece to their puzzle.