Brandon Nimmo Joins Mets’ 1,000-Hit Milestone Club

As the New York Mets played their doubleheader with the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday, it was a historic day for outfielder Brandon Nimmo, who played in his 1,000th career game in the opener. He became the 11th player to reach the milestone with the franchise, spending the entirety of his 10-year career to date with the Mets.

The 2011 first-round pick out of Cheyenne, WY, rose through the ranks of the Mets’ minor league system before being added to the 40-man roster in 2015. The following year, Nimmo got his first taste of big league action in his debut on June 26, 2016.

While it wasn’t the debut he’d hoped for, going 0-for-4, the firsts quickly began to pile up over the next week. He recorded his first MLB hits the next day against the Washington Nationals, followed by his first big league RBI on June 30 against the Chicago Cubs. The following night, Nimmo clocked his first big-league home run, a 442-foot shot into the bullpen in right field.

As the team struggled following a Wild Card berth that season, Nimmo’s playing time grew between 2017 and 2018. While his run production numbers may not have been the most staggering in that span, tallying 22 home runs and 68 RBIs in 209 games between the two campaigns, his ability to get on base made him a standout. His .404 on-base percentage was the highest among Mets players in 2018 and the fourth highest in all of baseball that season, accomplished in 140 games played.

The next three years were dampened by a mix of injuries and the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, but Nimmo continued to make an impact when healthy. During the 2020 campaign, he tied his career-high in OBP, sitting 10th in the league in the category for the year. In 2020 and ‘21, he finished with an OPS of over .800, including a career-high .888 in 2020.

However, the health concerns subsided after 2021. Nimmo remained healthy and grew into an offensive mainstay over the past four seasons. Even if he may not be as much of a threat to work walks, the past four seasons have brought about a power stroke. Over the last four seasons, he’s hit 81 home runs and driven in 275 runs, including career-highs with 24 round trippers in 2023 and 90 RBIs in 2024. In fact, Nimmo tied the franchise record for most grand slams in a season with three, joining the likes of Mike Piazza, Carlos Beltran, Robin Ventura, and John Milner.

Across Nimmo’s career in Queens, he tallied 908 hits, 128 homers, and 424 RBIs, with his growth putting him among some of the best to play for the franchise. Nimmo is tied with teammate Francisco Lindor for ninth on the team’s all-time home run list, sits in 13th for RBIs, and is only one double behind teammate Jeff McNeil for 12th all-time in with 178. His 32 triples are one behind Cleon Jones for fourth in franchise history.

Players who boast the tenure that Nimmo has have been few and far between for the Mets. The most recent players to crack the top 10 in games played are David Wright and Jose Reyes, who sit in second and third, respectively. Ed Kranepool sits atop the mountain with 1,853 games played.

With the outfielder on a long-term deal that runs through the 2030 season, should Nimmo spend the rest of his career with the franchise and play most of the team’s games, he could challenge the three icons’ spots on the list and continue to climb up other statistical rankings as well.

While Nimmo may not have the impact the likes of Piazza, Wright, and other greats before him did, he’s forged a fine legacy for himself that puts him among some of the best Mets of his generation at the very least. With New York thinking big with championship aspirations, perhaps Nimmo’s name could end up among the elites of the franchise’s history.