Finding Nimmo
Brandom Nimmo is sneaky good.
One of my favorite stats to track throughout the season is the number of walks a player gets. For one, it rarely receives the attention that other batting stats do. Sometimes, walks are chalked up to luck. I cannot deny that a wild pitcher certainly helps, but the guys that continually lead the league possess a particular set of skills.
Before I get to Brandon Nimmo, I want to mention Juan Soto. Soto is the king of walks. He had over 20 more walks than the next closest guy last year. The year before he was more than 30 ahead of the rest. Juan Soto is in many ways the prototypical guy when it comes to walks. He has good plate discipline and a lot of power. If the pitcher makes a mistake, he is going to make them pay. Pitchers know this and they would rather miss a little out of the zone than a little in the zone.
Nimmo differs from Soto and many of the players near the top of the list because he does not have feared power. Sure, he can hit a few out but he averages a pace of just under 17 per 162 games. Pitchers have no reason to be pickier with their pitches. To maintain a high walk rate as a contact hitter, Nimmo has to create his walks.
The first step to receiving a base on balls is not swinging at pitches outside of the strike zone. Nimmo has been very efficient in this regard. Last season, he had the 12th-lowest rate of swings at pitches outside the strike zone.
Taking pitches outside of the strike zone is obviously good, but, if your goal is to get on base, taking a pitch within the strike zone can be helpful too. Nimmo saw the 7th most pitches of any hitter last season. As a lead-off hitter, he naturally has a bit of an advantage over hitters that hit lower in the order. That said, he outpaced many hitters with a similar number of at-bats. Nimmo often doesn’t swing at the first strike, instead, he focuses on working the count.
Nimmo’s ability to get on base is a huge weapon for the Mets. His improving defense has also been quite impactful. Few teams have a centerfielder that has positive numbers offensively and defensively, but the Mets do.
Nimmo might be one of the most outwardly-happy players in the majors. It seems he always has a smile on his face. Yet, his at-bats are long, tiring, and pesky for pitchers. He sets the tone for a lineup that fouls off pitches, puts the ball in play, and makes the pitcher work for every out.
Brandon Nimmo’s Baseball Reference page was used for this article, along with Baseball Savant.