Nimmo continues to reap rewards of preparation adjustments

PHILADELPHIA -- Among the most redeeming aspects of this lost Mets season has been Brandon Nimmo, who tripled in two runs in a 7-5 loss to the Phillies on Saturday and, moments later, dashed home himself on a Francisco Lindor foul pop that certainly didn’t have to become a sacrifice fly. All the way to the end of September, Nimmo continues to play hard.

Saturday marked the outfielder’s 149th game. He is likely to match his career high in games on Tuesday and pass it on Wednesday. Nimmo could finish with as many as 156 after appearing in a career-best 151 last season.

This, as far as Nimmo is concerned, is the furthest thing from luck for a player who, not so long ago, carried with him an injury-prone reputation. During the 2021-22 offseason, when he hooked on with Scott Boras, Nimmo spoke to his new agent about how to take his career to the next level. Boras’ response was simple: Be healthy enough to play every day. Then, the agent took Nimmo through the extremely clipped list of primary center fielders to play in 130 games for two consecutive seasons.

Removing the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, only two -- Brett Gardner and Jackie Bradley Jr. -- had accomplished the feat in ’19 and ’21. Center field, Boras explained, is a demanding position that requires more diving, sprinting and overall movement than any other spot on the diamond. If Nimmo wanted to be the type of everyday center fielder who could stay healthy over 162 games, earn a long-term contract and provide significant value to his team over the life of it, he was going to need to change everything about his routine.

“So we’ve gone with that plan, and we’ve stuck with it,” Nimmo said. “We’ve worked on keeping me out on the field.”

Before his career year in 2022, Nimmo used to arrive at the ballpark around 1 p.m. for a 7 p.m. game, perform early fielding or baserunning work, take batting practice on the field, then do more defensive work, shag fly balls, and sometimes weightlift back in the clubhouse. Internal metrics showed that during the games themselves, he then expended roughly twice as much effort as others on the roster.

Nimmo knew he needed to cut that down, so he began showing up to games about two hours later in 2022 and taking swings almost exclusively in an indoor batting cage. He also slashed his on-field work, relying instead on hours of offseason training to keep his play sharp.

This year, Nimmo has taken the plan to even more of an extreme, skipping most Spring Training games and prioritizing his efforts away from the ballpark, while cutting back on things like stolen base attempts. When he is in the clubhouse, Nimmo goes through a strict routine involving physical therapy, blood-flow restriction, and even a sound therapy machine. He weightlifts after games instead of before. He credits strength and conditioning coach Dustin Clarke, as well as the Mets’ PT team, for much of his success.

And successful he has been. Nimmo’s 300 games played over the past two seasons rank inside the Top 25 in baseball for a Mets team that has three other players -- Lindor, Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil -- in that group. It’s allowed Nimmo to accumulate production in a way he never could in the past. Since the start of 2022, for example, he has hit 40 home runs, after hitting 41 in the previous four seasons combined. His triple on Saturday tied him for fourth in the Majors in that category over the same stretch. He’s inside the Top 20 in runs scored.

After producing more than 5 WAR last season, Nimmo will contribute between 4 and 5 this season. According to Baseball Reference calculations, among primary center fielders, only Mike Trout and Julio Rodríguez have more since the start of 2022.

“It’s something that I take a lot of pride in,” Nimmo said. “Because it is hard.”

Considering Nimmo is under contract for seven more seasons at $20.5 million per year, his health will remain paramount throughout the rest of this decade. His slide on Saturday left him with a bit of a sore hip -- the type of malady that pops up constantly throughout a season, but that has yet to KO Nimmo.

“Don’t get me wrong -- I’m still tired,” Nimmo said. “But I’m playing. … I’m able to go out. I’m able to play center field, and I’m able to still produce. So I’m in a good spot.”