Brandon Nimmo is Mets First-Round Draft Pick

As their first-round pick, the Mets have drafted 18-year-old outfielder Brandon Nimmo out of Wyoming. Here are the details from an official New York Mets press release:

Nimmo, 18, who bats lefthanded and throws righthanded, plays American Legion ball for Post 6, since Wyoming has no high school baseball. In 22 games through June 5, Nimmo hit .569 (33-58) with 13 doubles, four triples, two home runs, 34 RBI and 14 stolen bases. The schedule for Post 6 runs through the American Legion World Series, August 12-16 in Shelby, NC.

The 6-3, 190-pound native of Cheyenne, WY won the MVP award at the Under Armour All-America Game at Wrigley Field last August, going 2-4 with a triple, two RBI and two runs scored for the American Team. Baseball America ranked Nimmo has the second-best high school athlete in the draft, and the second-best pure high school hitter. The publication also said Nimmo has the second-best strike-zone judgement of all high school draft prospects.

Nimmo is the first ever first-round selection from Wyoming.

Last season for Post 6, Nimmo hit .448 (95-212) with 23 doubles, six triples, 15 home runs and 84 RBI in 70 games, 69 starts. He was a perfect 34-34 in stolen base attempts, helping Post 6 to a 64-12 record.

First things first: I know absolutely nothing about Nimmo, nor do I know anything about anyone in the draft. From what I understand, Nimmo is a gifted athlete with major upside, and was “on the board” of many MLB teams.

There are two concerns that jump right out: first, he didn’t play any high school baseball, because Wyoming doesn’t have such a thing (it gets too cold during the school year). Personally, I don’t see the lack of high school experience as a major issue — if the kid has skills, he has skills.

The other issue — and one that does mildly concern me — is the fact he blew out his knee playing football during his junior year, requiring surgery on his ACL. However, he was running the 60-yard dash in 6.5 seconds after the surgery, which is pretty quick, and he ran the 400-meter during the track season — so going by that it could be assumed that his knee problems are behind him. However, running in a straight line and running around a baseball field — i.e., around the bases, in the outfield — are two different things. There is a lot of starting and stopping, turning, and sideways movements. It’s been reported in several outlets that Nimmo struggled with some tendinitis in that knee during this past spring.

I don’t want to make a huge deal out of the knee injury, just want to put it out there. Other than that, it appears that the Mets have picked a highly touted, coveted, widely respected ballplayer.

Here is a video of Nimmo, found by OnTheBlack.com:

Here is another one from Baseball America; his swing looks good, and reminds me a little bit of Shawn Green: