PORT ST. LUCIE — Brandon Nimmo spent parts of six seasons in the minors before making his big league debut in 2016, but the bigger challenge could lie ahead.
“It’s hard to make it to the big leagues, but it’s harder to stay,” Nimmo said Saturday. “Coming into this year it’s, how do you figure out to stay here?”
The 23-year-old outfielder — the Mets’ top pick (13th overall) in the 2011 draft — made a solid impression on team officials last season, when he posted a .274/.338/.329 slash line with one homer and six RBIs over 73 at-bats in the majors.
But the Mets have a crowded outfield that includes Yoenis Cespedes, Curtis Granderson, Jay Bruce, Juan Lagares and potentially Michael Conforto, leaving Nimmo in flux.
The Mets will debate this spring whether Nimmo is better suited coming off the bench at the major league level or playing regularly at Triple-A Las Vegas, where he hit .352 in 97 games last season and finished as the runner-up to teammate T.J. Rivera for the Pacific Coast League batting title.
“[Nimmo] made a very positive impression, especially for a very young guy who ended up in a very part-time role, but making a contribution,” general manager Sandy Alderson said. “You don’t see that very often in a young player.”
The Mets intend to play Nimmo in all three outfield positions this spring, perhaps with an eye toward next offseason, when Granderson and Bruce (if he isn’t traded beforehand) come off the books. Still unclear is whether Nimmo can handle center field on a regular basis.
“They have a ton of outfielders, and that is a good thing for this team,” Nimmo said. “It’s a good thing for me, too, because I get to learn from a lot of guys who have been doing this for a long time and know the ins and outs of the outfield and every situation, so I get to learn from them. I am just taking it as a positive. It’s a great thing for this team.”
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