Why Blue Jays Stud Hitting Prospect Could Rise to Top of Next Year’s Rankings
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The prospect track for Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Arjun Nimmala seems to have taken on accelerant of late.
He started the year just inside Baseball America’s Top 100 prospects. When the esteemed publication updated its list for May, the 19-year-old soared 39 spots to No. 58. That was one of the largest jumps of any Top 100 prospect from the preseason.
Toronto has high hopes for their former first-round pick. Are those hopes so high that Nimmala could be considered the best prospect in the game?
Baseball America thinks its possible. In a recent piece, the publication highlighted seven players that it believes have the goods to be baseball’s No. 1 prospect this time next year. Nimmala made the list.
Why Arjun Nimmala Could be Baseball’s Top Prospect in 2026
Since the Blue Jays selected him with their No. 20 overall selection in the 2023 MLB draft, he’s been one of the most anticipated prospects in the system.
The Strawberry Crest High School (Tampa, Fla.) product stayed close to home in 2023 and slashed .200/.500/.320 in nine games in the Florida Complex League.
He played the bulk of 2024 at Class A Dunedin. The overall numbers went up, with a slash of .232/.325/.482 with 17 home runs and 47 RBI. But something stuck out — the strikeouts. In 340 at-bats he struck out 120 times. Even though he went back to extended spring training and go this swing back, he was striking out more than 30% of the time.
Toronto opted to send him to High-A Vancouver to start this season and he’s had one of the best bats in the Northwest League. In his first 31 games he slashed .278/.352/.524 with seven home runs and 18 RBI. He’s on a pace to shatter last year’s career highs.
He’s also cut down the strikeouts considerably. In his first 126 at-bats he has just 29 strikeouts. A rate of 23%. Plus, he’s drawn 13 walks, which is 33% of what he drew in 90 games last season.
Nimmala has developed plate discipline. Baseball America’s see that as a key piece of development for young prospects.
“Nimmala’s tools are becoming skills, and the results are loud,” Baseball America’s Josh Norris wrote.
It’s no surprise Nimmala is hitting. Before he signed for the Blue Jays for $3 million, he was a Florida State commit. 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.
If tools continue to become skills, he may top these rankings come next year.
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Matthew Postins is an award-winning sports journalist who covers Major League Baseball for OnSI. He also covers the Big 12 Conference for Heartland College Sports.
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