Dream NY Mets starting lineup for the 2025 season

Batting fourth in the dream Mets lineup, center fielder Brandon Nimmo

Is Brandon Nimmo actually the dream cleanup hitter for the Mets? We have to think of starting lineups differently than the way we grew up. It’s not as easy as putting your best OBP guy at the top or best power hitter in the number four spot. The design of a lineup goes beyond those simplicities of the past.

Nimmo’s presence as the number four hitter isn’t as preposterous as it used to be. Capable of hitting for power these days, his ability to hit well with runners in scoring position throughout the 2024 season should keep him in consideration for a middle of the order spot moving forward. Even if the year’s totals weren’t outrageously impressive, his clutch numbers were.

Nimmo finished the regular season hitting just .224/.327/.399. The OBP was the worst of his career. However, the home run total was one shy of his previous high of 24 from the year prior. He drove in 90 runs which came in 22 more than in 2023 when he set a new personal best at 68.

A different animal with runners in scoring position, Nimmo slashed .319/.424/.607 in those situations. Versus the .168/.269/.275 with the bases empty, the Mets should probably stick with him hitting in the middle of the order.

He moves to center field in this dream lineup simply because there aren’t too many other realistic options. Tyrone Taylor will get his starts at the position. It’s Nimmo who’ll get the most frequent call.