Dream NY Mets starting lineup for the 2026 season

Batting sixth Brandon Nimmo, LF

Frankly, there isn’t a good place to hit Brandon Nimmo in just about any combination of Mets lineup. No longer the massive threat he once was as a leadoff guy, this dream lineup has him dropping lower than he has been regularly batting for the Mets. In the number six hole behind Ramirez though, maybe Nimmo can continue to evolve into more of a power-hitter than the elite OBP guy he was earlier on.

Nimmo set career highs in home runs and RBI last year with 25 and 92. A 50.2% hard-hit rate suggests he should have been even better in many circumstances. His .262 batting average wasn’t superb and yet it’s exactly what he has hit in his career.

Nimmo falls into this spot in our dream Mets for a couple of reasons. We do need to get him in there somewhere. He’s also not going anywhere. Not even a fever dream has him getting traded. And why would the Mets? Both a locker room leader and one of the team’s best hitters, particularly with runners in scoring position, we may get even more out of him batting in this spot. In fact, one could even justify this as a place where he can help turn the lineup over.

There probably isn’t a reality where Nimmo actually does bat this low in the Mets lineup next season outside of a major fall. Likelier to hit in spots two through five, our loaded dream starting nine has him falling right before we get to the bottom third of the lineup that may make or break this team.