Rangers already made their first mistake with former NY Mets player Brandon Nimmo

The New York Mets ended up replacing Brandon Nimmo with the most obvious person in left field: Juan Soto. The offseason decision to move Soto from right field to left field should have been processed much earlier. It took Soto playing the position in the WBC for it to even become a conversation.

Meanwhile, the Texas Rangers will ask Nimmo to continue at his comfort spot in left field. No, wait. That’s not what they’ll do.

Instead of left field, the Rangers have confirmed they’ll put Nimmo in right field. Wyatt Langford will remain in left field and challenge for a Gold Glove. His 5 OAA at both center field and left field last year has him rated as one of the better defenders in baseball. His arm ain’t half-bad either.

What are the Rangers doing with Brandon Nimmo?

Soto should translate well in left field at Citi Field with less ground to cover. His arm is what makes him a credible enough right fielder. This same attribute is what makes Nimmo a dangerous man to put out in right field.

Not a complete noodle arm, his 48th percentile strength, 51th percentile arm value, and 42nd percentile OAA last year all have him feeling right below average. Those numbers, of course, came as a left fielder.

Nimmo hasn’t played right field since 2020. He has less than 100 total games at the position. It’s not a completely absurd transition to make late in your career. However, Nimmo doesn’t seem to have the right traits to make it work. His 83.9 mph average arm strength would have him ranked as one of the bottom right fielders in the league if it stays where it was last year.

In his years with the Mets, defense has been one of those unpredictable parts of Nimmo’s game, as have many of his offensive results. He was an incredible center fielder for a very brief time with the 2022 season marking his peak. Injuries and aging made him a better fit in left field where his decreasing range and poor arm fit best.

Texas may have it in their minds to keep Langford where he has done some of his best work rather than mess with the kid’s position too much. Nimmo seems to be trending toward becoming a DH more often than not. This year should have him in the outfield plenty with Joc Pederson still on their roster. By next year, the Rangers may learn the hard way about what Nimmo can do on that side of the ball.