Mets' Brandon Nimmo on recent power surge: 'It adds another level to my game'
In the third inning of the Mets’ 4-1 win over the San Francisco Giants on Saturday, Brandon Nimmo hit the second of three home runs of the inning. It was the hardest hit ball of his career and it came seven years to the day that he hit his first career home run.
While that’s touching and serendipitous, it actually speaks to how far Nimmo has come in his career as a hitter, specifically as a power-hitter, and the power surge that he’s currently on at the moment.
“It felt really good,” Nimmo said. “I’ve obviously put in a lot of hard work this offseason and have continued that during the season. These guys, they get paid to get us out as well and so when you come through with a big hit or big home run it’s always rewarding.”
In his last five games, Nimmo has hit four home runs and now sits at 12 on the season, good for fourth on the team behind sluggers Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor and Francisco Alvarez – the latter two also went deep on Saturday.
That puts him on pace to hit around 24 home runs (and possibly more if he continues the tear he’s on) which would be the most of his career.
So, how did Nimmo get to this point?
“I knew it was inside of me,” he said. “The Mets have been patient with me throughout my career and allowed me the opportunities to become better and I’ve tried to take advantage of those and this is just another aspect that I was trying to add to my game, so [I’m] very happy that we’re getting some results.”
Known as a patient hitter who loves to get on base (an honorable and important trait as a leadoff hitter), Nimmo’s on-base percentage has dipped slightly the last two seasons from his jaw-dropping .400 seasons to simply well-above average at .370.
However, with that he’s seen an uptick in his power numbers. And as Nimmo explained after the game, when a player tries to gain an advantage in one area it tends to come at the expense of another area, but it’s all about finding that balance.
“It adds another level to my game and I credit the hitting coaches that have seen that in me and have been willing to work with me,” Nimmo said.
If Nimmo begins to trade a walk here and there for a home run or double or even a triple, the Mets would be happy with that. In fact, it’s happening in front of their eyes right now.
“(Hitting coach) Jeremy (Barnes) put in a lot of work with me this offseason, telling me there’s more inside of you and I knew it too when he showed me the numbers and he would show me this is what you’re capable of,” Nimmo said.
