Mets contemplating moving Brandon Nimmo from leadoff spot
The Mets' Brandon Nimmo doubles during the third inning of a spring training game against the Yankees on Tuesday in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Credit: AP/Jeff Roberson
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Brandon Nimmo, leadoff hitter extraordinaire, soon might abandon that part of his identity.
The Mets are considering batting Nimmo somewhere other than first, he said, and he is very much open to the possibility.
The Mets’ primary No. 1 hitter since late 2019, Nimmo showed a new degree of slugging ability last year, hitting a career-high 24 homers. He thinks there is even more power to tap into, too.
So as the Mets’ new decision-makers mull the optimal lineup and who would provide the best protection for Pete Alonso, moving Nimmo around is an option.
“I’m not opposed to that being changed at all. I’m not stuck on that I have to be a leadoff hitter,” Nimmo told Newsday. “We didn’t really reach the expectations that we wanted last year. And I’m OK with shaking things up to reach a different result.”
Similar to how Mets bosses picked Nimmo’s brain early in the offseason about switching to leftfield, which came to fruition when they signed centerfielder Harrison Bader, they started talking about a potential batting order change before spring training. Those conversations with president of baseball operations David Stearns and manager Carlos Mendoza, as well as hitting coaches Jeremy Barnes and Eric Chavez, have continued during camp.
Ultimately, lineup construction will be up to “Mendy and Stearns and those guys,” Barnes said. But the fact that the Mets can discuss such a move is a testament to Nimmo’s growth and ability.
“It’s nice that we have that flexibility,” Barnes said. “His skill set is so unique. He gets on base, he walks above major-league average, he doesn’t swing and miss a whole lot, he hits the ball really hard. And last year he started putting the ball in the air and getting the power more.
“If he does those things, whether he ends up hitting leadoff, whether he ends up hitting second, third, fourth behind Pete or whatever, good things are going to happen.”
Nimmo emphasized that a change in his spot in the batting order would not result in a change in plate approach. The exception: He typically feels obligated to take the first pitch of a game. If he hit, say, third, he could pounce on that initial offering.
Moving Nimmo would raise at least two major questions: Where would he bat? And who would replace him at leadoff?
Barnes noted that “the surefire thing is you want him in the first couple of your batting order.” In reality, that means probably top three — ensuring Nimmo hits in the first inning — or fourth behind Alonso.
Potential non-Nimmo leadoff hitters include a trio of guys who have done it plenty: Starling Marte, particularly if he returns to some semblance of his pre-2023 form; Jeff McNeil, under the same conditions, and Francisco Lindor, though he totaled 31 homers last year and might be best in the middle.
Whomever the Mets choose, that person would do the job differently from Nimmo, Barnes said. It doesn’t mean worse.
Nimmo earned that role by being an on-base machine. He had a .363 OBP last year and has a .380 mark in his career.
Marte, however, would be more of a stolen-base threat. McNeil is a purer average hitter.
“Nimmo’s done it and done it so well,” Barnes said. “If you move him into a different position, we have a void to fill. What do we want out of that void?”
With the starters recently playing together in Grapefruit League games, Mendoza has been toying with different orders. That likely will continue in the next couple of weeks.
This time of year lends itself to experimentation.
“If it’s better for the team, if it puts us in a better position to mix things up with Pete and Lindor and putting someone else in a better position maybe at leadoff or whatever it may be, then I’m all for it,” Nimmo said.
Barnes said: “I don’t have a great answer right now. It’s interesting. It’s something that’s been talked about a little bit and it’s like, what jigsaw puzzle ends up making the most sense?’’
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.
