Why Brandon Nimmo Sees Benefit Of Mets' Center Field Depth, Addition Of DH

Brandon Nimmo has made one thing abundantly clear as he gets set to enter his walk year - he wants to play center field.

Nimmo initially transitioned to playing center during the Covid-shortened 2020 season, and struggled with -4 Outs Above Average. But last season, the Mets played him deeper and he arrived at camp faster due to a new offseason conditioning program, per MLB.com. As a result, he flipped the script with +4 Defensive Runs Saved and +4 Outs Above Average across 678.2 innings.

Although Nimmo proved he can play the position on an everyday basis, the Mets signed Starling Marte to a four-year, $78 million deal in November.

But Marte, who has primarily played center in recent years, has seen his defensive skills slip over the past three seasons with -14 DRS since the start of 2019.

At this point, Nimmo appears to be the best candidate to claim the Mets' center field job. He has made it clear that he wants to play center this season, but also sees the benefit of competing for this spot with Marte.

“Obviously, I would like to play center field," Nimmo told Inside the Mets earlier in the week. "(But) I think competition is a good thing.

"Last year, Kevin Pillar and I came here to play center field, and we pushed each other. I think It was beneficial for both of us, and we made each other better."

In addition to Marte, another Mets' offseason free agent pickup, Mark Canha, has experience in center as well. Canha seems destined to start in right field, while Nimmo and Marte battle for the center field job, but manager Buck Showalter said that all three outfielders will receive practice reps in center during the spring.

“They’ve all three been receptive to what’s best for the team,” Showalter said. “So that’s a really good start.”

The Mets intend on getting this trio plenty of work in center over the next few weeks in order to prepare them to play the position during the regular season.

For Nimmo, he sees the team's depth in center as a positive because it can potentially reduce the risk of injuries.

“Knowing that someone is feeling lame, and someone can play center for you, that’s a good attribute to have," Nimmo said. "Most teams don’t have that, so I think that’s something that will come into play a lot over the course of the season.

"We all need to be ready to play different positions in the outfield, but have the ability to go out to center and command an outfield.”

Not only can the Mets utilize their depth in center in order to keep their outfield fresh, the addition of the universal designated hitter will allow them to give an individual a day off from playing the field, while keeping their bat in the lineup.

“It makes a big difference to be able to keep a bat in the lineup," Nimmo said of the DH. "Maybe someone’s legs aren’t feeling great that day. It’s very important for us because it gets another good bat in the lineup since we have so many of them. Ultimately, It’s about keeping guys healthy.”

Nimmo has dealt with his fair share of injuries throughout his career. Last season, a torn ligament near the base of his index finger, which caused him to miss two months in the first-half, plus a hamstring injury suffered later in the year, limited the 28-year-old to just 92 games. In 2019, Nimmo played in 69 games due to a neck injury.

If Nimmo and the Mets cannot reach a contract extension before the season starts, he will have an opportunity to increase his value before hitting the free agent market after 2022. This means it will benefit Nimmo to stay healthy across a full-season, which is something he has been unable to do since 2018. It will also help the Mets, who are relying on Nimmo, and Marte, to be their two main table setters at the top of the lineup this year.