With unique swing, Toronto's 1st-round Draft pick brings 'super focused' mentality

TORONTO -- Arjun Nimmala is the ultimate project.

In other sports, that’s a polite way of saying a player isn’t quite ready. In the MLB Draft, where patience is part of the deal, it’s exactly what player development staffs want.

The Blue Jays selected Nimmala 20th overall in the 2023 Draft with their eyes already set years down the road. The 17-year-old doesn’t turn 18 until Oct. 16 -- making him one of the youngest players in the class -- but Toronto has all the time in the world to fine-tune Nimmala’s gifts as he develops into a professional on the field and a grown man off of it.

The player
Nimmala was ranked as the No. 11 player in the Draft by MLB Pipeline, making him one of the top high school players available. At 6-foot-1 with plenty of room to add to his 170-pound frame, Nimmala is built for power, something he’s already generating plenty of with a swing that doesn’t look like most others.

“The high finish that has a bit of an abruptness to it at the end has a unique nature to it,” general manager Ross Atkins said. “I think there are some players like that. I’m not comparing him to these guys, but Julio Rodríguez and Mookie Betts have a little bit of a higher finish with more of an abrupt finish. The most unique thing to me is how quick and powerful it is.”

The Blue Jays have a track record of trying to help hitters do things their way. Think of Bo Bichette, whose swing mechanics aren’t anything you see from a hitting coach. You can expect the same for Nimmala, right down to that trademark finish.

“A lot of people think that it’s like a cricket finish,” Nimmala said, “but for me, that’s kind of natural and that’s me keeping an extension and holding the finish. It helps me keep my bat in the zone as long as possible. It’s a good cue for me and it became natural, so it happens in games and happens all the time. It’s something I do naturally and it helps me a lot.”

The person
Atkins and the Blue Jays had already gone through the full scouting process on Nimmala. If you’re betting on a high-school player this high, you want to make sure you have the right foundation. Seeing Nimmala during his recent visit to Toronto was Atkins’ first experience with him in-person, though, and he saw a player more mature than his 17 years.

“It was clear that he was very comfortable, very respectful,” Atkins said. “He seems to have all of the foundation for all of the challenges that are ahead of him and the talent is clear. We were as excited as we could be.”

• Chasing MLB dream, Nimmala looks to break mold with Indian heritage

Nimmala met most of the Blue Jays’ roster and took batting practice that day. He was grinning from ear to ear, but you could still sense that he knew this was one of his first days on the job in a professional environment.

“My mentality is super focused,” Nimmala said. “Defense, offense, whatever. My mentality is super focused on the game and I’m going to try to provide the best I can for the team in the moment. I think of every part of the game as an opportunity for me to do my best. Mentally, I’m very strong in those moments, for sure.”

The projection
High school hitters aren’t exactly the Blue Jays’ model in Round 1. The best recent example is Jordan Groshans, who played some Rookie Ball after being drafted in 2018 before making the jump to Single-A in his first full season (‘19). The Minor League structure is different now, though, with the Florida Complex League being Nimmala’s entrypoint.

The average hitters on the Blue Jays’ FCL affiliate are 19 and 20 years old, but regardless of when he gets there, the complex will be Nimmala’s home for the foreseeable future. That’s a good thing, too. The Blue Jays’ complex is a true strength when it comes to development, and should give Nimmala every imaginable tool to grow and develop.

“I had the opportunity to go down to Dunedin [Fla.,] and visit the Blue Jays’ Spring Training. I thought it was absolutely amazing,” Nimmala said. “They have all of the facilities to develop players, so I was very intrigued by that. It helped a lot. I thought, ‘They’re going to be able to develop me really well.’”

That process begins now, and as far as projects go, Nimmala is the exact type you want to hand over to your player development staff.