Brandon Nimmo missed a large chunk of the 2019 season due to a neck injury, but that didn't stop him from being recognized as one of the best center fielders in baseball, according to MLB Network's rankings.
Nimmo, who checked in at No. 9 on the list, struggled early last season due in part to attempting to play through his neck injury. After returning in September, he hit .261/.430/.565 in 26 games.
The above numbers improved upon what Nimmo did in 2018, when he slashed 263/.404/.483 and was worth 4.5 fWAR during what was his first full season in the majors.
Here's the full list of the Top 10 center fielders in baseball:
No. 1: Mike Trout, Angels
No. 2: Cody Bellinger, Dodgers
No. 3: George Springer, Astros
No. 4: Ramon Laureano, Athletics
No. 5: Whit Merrifield, Royals
No. 6: Starling Marte, Pirates
No. 7: Lorenzo Cain, Brewers
No. 8: Aaron Hicks, Yankees
No. 9: Brandon Nimmo, Mets
No. 10: Brett Gardner, Yankees
Notable on the above list is that Starling Marte, a trade possibility the Mets have been connected to, is No. 6.
Nimmo is expected to begin the season as the Mets' starting center fielder and be flanked by J.D. Davis (left field) and Michael Conforto (right field).
While Nimmo's production and value has been hand-waved by some Mets fans who don't believe he's as good as some say he is, the numbers don't lie.
Nimmo had the third-best OPS among National League outfielders in 2018, with his .886 mark trailing only Christian Yelich and Bryce Harper. Meanwhile, Nimmo's .404 OBP was the best among National League outfielders in 2018.
It's clear that how Nimmo produced in 2018 and how he produced upon his healthy return in 2019 had a greater bearing on his ranking than how he performed in 2019 while he was hurt. And the Mets will expect a lot from Nimmo as they enter 2020 with him almost certainly entrenched as one of their starting outfielders.