For Mets' Brandon Nimmo, potential All-Star Game spot would be 'really special'
The Mets' Brandon Nimmo celebrates with his teammates after a game against the Nationals at Nationals Park on Tuesday in Washington. Credit: AP/Alex Brandon
WASHINGTON — Brandon Nimmo sees the statistics, knows the situation and thinks he has a shot.
He may well be an All-Star — for the first time in his career — when the full rosters are announced Sunday night.
Such an honor would be “awesome” and “really special,” he said.
“I feel like I’ve played well enough I could be in there and no one would bat an eye at it. I feel like I’ve played like an All-Star so far,” Nimmo said Wednesday. “Anybody who plays this sport and dreams about getting to the big leagues also dreams about being an All-Star, someone who peers and fans and people in the community consider one of the better players in the game.
“It would be really special, because I feel like I’ve been right on the cusp a few times and just haven’t quite gotten there.”
The Mets don’t have any no-doubt All-Stars, but they do have several players who deserve consideration. Nimmo has about as strong a case as anybody, with the best combination of availability/volume of games and offensive production.
Entering play Wednesday, he was second on the team with an .824 OPS. And he was tied for second among National League outfielders with 2.5 Wins Above Replacement, according to FanGraphs.
He realized he stacked up well during player balloting — which includes leaderboards in WAR, average, home runs, RBIs and OPS — last week.
“Definitely, I’ve thought about it,” he said. “I thought it would be really cool. I have somewhat of a chance this year.”
Among the Mets’ other potential All-Stars, Francisco Lindor leads the team with 3.4 WAR. He also is the only guy with double-digit homers (14) and steals (15).
Pete Alonso (1.4 WAR) has 18 long balls, most on the Mets. For MLB, he would come with the added appeal of maybe participating in the Home Run Derby, which Alonso in the past has said he would do only if he is an All-Star.
J.D. Martinez has a team-high .278 average and .853 OPS. He started the season a month late but has been as important and good as anybody since arriving.
Francisco Alvarez missed about seven weeks because of a thumb injury but has been a sparkplug when on the field — which, since his return, has been nearly every day. He and the Cardinals’ Willson Contreras (who also missed extensive time due to a broken arm) have been the best offensive catchers in the majors.
“There’s a reason why we started playing better baseball the last three weeks or month, because a lot of guys are contributing and having a good year,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “I’m hoping a few of them get in there.”
Special delivery
Martinez received three pairs of his preferred cleats, allowing for an easy return to the lineup.
He sat out Tuesday after a replacement shoe — purchased off Amazon, he said — made his left ankle sore. His Adidas shipment was delayed, so he had to try something else.
Still, though, those three fresh sets would get him through only the next week and a half. He awaits a larger shipment of about 30 pairs.
Martinez said that because he takes so many swings — upwards of 100 each game — and stops wearing a pair after they get worn down slightly, he breaks out new shoes every three or four games.
Diaz gets ready
In an effort to stay in pitching shape, suspended closer Edwin Diaz threw one simulated inning against a pair of batters from High-A Brooklyn (flown down for the day for this particular assignment). He threw 19 pitches, struck out two, walked one and allowed a hit.
Diaz, deemed by umpires to have a foreign substance on his pitching hand on June 23, is set to return Saturday.
Extra bases
Harrison Bader was out of the lineup a day after an awkward collision with an outfield fence left him with a sore neck. He was feeling better, Mendoza said, and was potentially available off the bench . . . Alvarez also was out of the lineup, but that was just a routine day off, according to Mendoza . . . Drew Smith said he still is planning on season-ending right elbow surgery but won’t know for sure until he visits another doctor next week. In the meantime, he is with the team on the road . . . The Mets designated reliever Matt Festa for assignment to clear a roster spot for Christian Scott, who started against the Nationals . . . The Mets-Nationals series finale Thursday will start at 11:05 a.m., an Independence Day tradition in the nation’s capital. “It’s going to be a quick turnaround,” Mendoza said. “It’s an unusual time, but it’s a big-league game.”
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.