And the award for The Most Underappreciated NY Mets Player of the Year goes to...

Who is the most underappeciated member of the New York Mets this season? It's a beloved player who might fall under a microscope because of how long he has been here. Early criticisms in Brandon Nimmo’s career was his inability to hit left-handed pitching, striking out too much, and not playing center field well enough. He has been a rollercoaster. Not nearly as predictable as others, like Khris Davis who batted .247 in three straight seasons with the Oakland Athletics, the Mets can remain thankful for the way he has evolved.

Arguably the zenith of his career came in 2022. Which Mets players weren’t at their best? Nimmo proved he could play center field, a suggestion which has since disappeared. He finally stayed healthy and cut down on his strikeouts in a major way. His 17.2% in Ks remains a personal low.

The season marked a change in Nimmo’s game. He was no longer a .400 OBP player. An achievement he reached three times in his career, Nimmo has added power to his repertoire. This isn’t a case of a player slowing down either. More than half of his career stolen bases have come in the last two seasons, in large part because of the rule changes in MLB. A power-hitter with base stealing capabilities; what’s not to love?

Brandon Nimmo is quietly having a really good summer, on his way to another productive season

It’s easy to forget just how bad Nimmo was at times only last season. He finished the year batting only .224. His .727 OPS was ridiculously poor. Even so, he clocked 23 home runs and drove in a career-high 90 runs. Swapping him out of the leadoff spot helped with the RBI opportunities. This year, with him circling back to leadoff duties, the end results are a little more unpredictable.

With 19 home runs already, his career-high 24 long balls from 2023 is set to fall. He’s unlikely to reach 91 RBI to set a new best nor should he come close to challenging the 102 runs he scored in 2022 when he hit out of the leadoff spot exclusively. Balance is what Nimmo’s numbers will tell us about in 2025.

Nimmo has swung more freely this year to his benefit. His strikeouts are at 19.8%, the second-lowest of his career. His hard-hit percentage is at 51%. He had been hitting the ball hard all year. Only recently has it led to the results we’re seeing.

No, Nimmo isn’t the player they signed prior to the 2023 season. Now a left fielder, and not necessarily a great one or a threat to draw a walk at near the same pace, Nimmo has to have had one of the stranger yet satisfying evolutions of any Mets player. A tier below All-Star level almost every season, it’s the immeasurables like leadership that’ll always bring added value. 

But don’t overlook what he does on the field either. Since June, Nimmo is batting .294/.363/.511 with 10 home runs in 47 games. It’s the kind of production to make your mouth water, your ice cream melt, and your energy bill put you in debt.