3 common Brandon Nimmo takes we can bury forever

The Mets should platoon Brandon Nimmo because he can’t hit lefties

This was true at one time but not to the great extent some made it out to be. In 2018, Nimmo batted .234/.351/.391 versus southpaws. Against righties, he was an expectedly better hitter with a .275/.424/.521 slash line.

There’s nothing unusual about a left-handed player putting up worse numbers against a left-handed pitcher. In fact, if he’s doing the opposite, something may be wrong. We then can begin to question not why he succeeds versus lefties but why he’s failing against righties.

Now 439 plate appearances against lefties into his career, Nimmo has become much better. Lifetime, he has hit .260/.378/.399 against them. It’s lower than the .269/.398/.462 against righties but far closer than I think some stubborn fans may realize. The only major difference between the two is power. And again, there’s nothing unusual about this.

Not much has been publicly discussed about what Nimmo has done to become a more well-rounded baseball player. Previously viewed as a fourth outfielder and at best the left-handed part of a platoon because of his inability to face certain pitchers, things have changed.

Nimmo can succeed against righties and lefties. The preference for righties may remain, however, if there’s a lefty on the mound, there is little cause for concern. He has learned to handle himself.