If you needed an incentive to watch the late Toronto Blue Jays game tonight, you now have it.
Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae reported Friday afternoon that with Leo Jiménez being ill, the Blue Jays will replace him with top prospect Arjun Nimmala.
Nimmala was selected 20th overall in the 2023 draft out of high school. Shortly after, the shortstop made his professional debut in the Florida Complex League, slashing .200/.500/.320 with no home runs in 40 plate appearances for a 148 wRC+.
It was a horrendous start to his first taste of Single-A, as he slashed just .167/.280/.306 with three home runs in 125 plate appearances for a 74 wRC+ from the start of the season until May 12. Nimmala was sent down to the FCL and he responded well.
From Jun. 3 until the end of the season between the FCL and Single-A, Nimmala slashed .263/.346/.565 with 14 home runs for a 149 wRC+, although Nimmala did have a high K% of 28.9% in this span. Altogether, he slashed .232/.325/.482 with 17 home runs in 391 plate appearances for a 125 wRC+.
The 19-year-old has a ton of power. Ranking as MLB Pipeline’s 87th-best prospect in baseball to start the 2025 season, his scouting report from the site grades his power as a 60. His report notes that his posture changed in the second half of the season, which helped his numbers improve. Of course, the hit tool may be a bit of a concern, especially as he swings off-speed stuff.
Nimmala’s arm is also graded at 60 and it’s believed that he’ll be able to stick at shortstop throughout his career, making the 19-year-old even more valuable to the Blue Jays and their future.
All in all, Nimmala is a prospect to be excited about and you’ll be able to watch him Friday evening in his first taste of Spring Training action in 2025. If you recall, he mashed a home run in one of his plate appearances last Spring Training.
That game starts at 6:35 against the New York Yankees.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. They can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
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