The 2021 season was supposed to be the year where Brandon Nimmo put together several career-highs. He was one of my three picks at the start of the season to have the best season of their career with the New York Mets. I swung and missed on the other two. In Nimmo’s case, there was one major factor holding him back.
Fortunately, there were plenty of things that did go well for the Mets center fielder in 2021. I’d like to discuss them all.
What went right: Brandon Nimmo had another excellent offensive season for the Mets
I can break down Nimmo’s offense in many directions. I’ll keep it as simple as possible because there is just so much goodness to discuss.
He finished the year with a .292/.401/.437 slash line with the average topping out his previous best at .280 set in 2020. His OBP was right there with what he has done in the past and the slugging was a little light but acceptable.
Nimmo was about what you would want from a leadoff hitter. He got on base a ton. His 54 walks and 79 strikeouts created a wonderful ratio in his 386 plate appearances. He has become a much more rounded hitter.
Remarkably, he was very good against lefties. His .306/.429/.398 slash line tells us that he can handle them even if the power isn’t quite there. Compared to his .286/.389/.454 batting line versus righties, we get a guy with no major weakness based on the handedness of the pitcher. Any past thoughts of pairing him with a righty in a platoon have now died and been buried six feet under.