Explaining Blue Jays Top Hitting Prospect’s Incredible Rankings Jump

This Toronto Blue Jays Top 100 prospect was already considered one of the best prospective hitters before this rankings boost.

Aug 28, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, US; East infielder Arjun Nimmala (22) during the Perfect Game All-American Classic high school baseball game at Chase Field. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Toronto Blue Jays know they have a potential star brewing in the minor leagues with infielder Arjun Nimmala.

But the 19-year-old’s stock is now rising throughout the prospect world.

Baseball America released its updated Top 100 earlier this week. The respected publication will update those rankings every month during the season. It relies on its own scouting, along with talking with MLB scouts, coaches, analysts and front office officials.

This time of year, there can be huge jumps in where a prospect is ranked, even those that were already in the Top 100, like Nimmala was going into the season.

Explaining Arjun Nimmala’s Prospect Ranking Rise

The Blue Jays had three Top 100 prospects listed in the new rankings. Two were pitchers — Ricky Tiedemann and Trey Yesavage. For the latter, it was his first entry into the Top 100 after an incredible start with the Dunedin Blue Jays in Class A.

Nimmala is playing for the High-A Vancouver Canadians. He’s in his third professional season after Toronto selected him in the first round of the 2023 MLB draft out of Strawberry Crest High School in Dover, Fla.

Entering the season he was ranked No. 97 by Baseball America. In the first update, he was ranked No. 58, a jump of 39 spots and one of the largest jumps by any Top 100 prospect in the update.

The publication explained the rise succinctly.

“Nimmala is one of the best hitters in the Northwest League, and he’s also years younger than most players in the league,” per the publication’s editors.

Through his first 28 games with Vancouver, he slashed .272/.346/.526 with seven home runs and 14 RBI. He’s on pace to obliterate last year’s totals in the Florida Complex League and with Dunedin — .232/.325/.482 with 17 home runs and 47 RBI in 90 games.

As this is Nimmala’s first season with Vancouver, and given that he’s 19 years old, spending most of the season with the Canadians is the likely outcome by the organization. But he could certainly hit his way to a promotion to Double-A New Hampshire later in the season.

He’s used to moving fast, though. While in prep baseball, he was named the Florida Gatorade player of the Year and the Wade Boggs Athletic Award, the latter of which is given to the best player in Hillsborough County, Fla. He also needed just 99 games to get to High-A baseball.

He’s not seen as a Major League option for a couple of more years. But he’s certainly getting everyone’s attention.