Brandon Nimmo’s season has been good enough on the surface, but the deeper numbers keep telling a louder story: the Texas Rangers outfielder has been pounding the ball and getting very little back for it.
As of Saturday, July 18, Nimmo is sitting on a .266/.332/.427 slash line. He has 22 doubles, 4 triples, 9 homers, 56 singles and 30 walks, production that adds up to a 119 OPS+. That’s a solid line by any measure, but it still feels like there’s another gear waiting underneath it if a few more balls had found grass instead of gloves.
The advanced metrics back that up in a big way. On Baseball Savant, Nimmo is in the top 94th percentile in xwOBA, xBA, xSLG and Hard-Hit %.
He also checks in in the 91st percentile in average exit velocity and the 84th percentile in barrel rate. In other words, the contact has been loud all year.
The problem is what’s happened after the ball leaves the bat. His wOBA number of -0.049 points to the gap between what he should be producing and what the stat sheet says he’s produced. Savant’s numbers suggest his average would be around .295, his slugging percentage about .520, and his overall line could look more like a .900 OPS with 54 RBI instead of the .759 OPS and 37 RBI he has now.
Nimmo gave the Rangers another reminder of what he can do in Saturday’s 7-6 comeback win over the Braves. He came through with a hard-hit, two-RBI single that put Texas ahead 7-5 in the top of the 6th inning. It was the kind of swing that fits the season he’s actually having, even if it hasn’t always shown up in the final numbers.
He has also been on the field, which matters too. Outside of missing three games because of a shoulder injury suffered when he ran into the right-field wall several weeks ago, Nimmo has been available.
That consistency has made him easy to overlook at times with Joc Pederson’s comeback season drawing attention, Corey Seager dealing with injuries, and Wyatt Langford still carrying the buzz of unlimited potential. But Nimmo has been making some of the best and most consistent contact on the roster.
If that luck finally turns, the second half could look a lot different for the Rangers’ offense. And that would matter plenty as Texas tries to win the AL West outright or grab a wild-card spot.
In Other News...
Rangers Trade Idea Puts Two Intriguing Young Pieces On The Table
Jim Bowdens trade idea gives the Rangers a familiar sort of deadline debate: do they chase a useful bat now, or protect the young depth that could matter later? In this scenario, Texas is looking at Luis Arraez as a possible fit, which makes sense only if you view the clubs roster needs through the lens of contact and versatility rather than impact power. The bigger question is whether that is the right way to spend real prospect capital when the Rangers still have more pressing holes to fill.
Yolfran Castillo and Dalton Pence are the kind of names that make these conversations interesting because both have enough upside to matter in a deal, but neither feels disposable. Castillo has been productive in the low minors, while Pence has put together a strong season on the mound and sits among the organizations better arms. Even so, Texas has other pitching prospects in the pipeline, which could make moving Pence easier to swallow than it first appears, but the front office still has to decide whether Arraez is the sort of addition worth taking that step. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Fans Just Got Pulled Into Another Deadline Rumor
Trade-season chatter has a way of finding its way to the Rangers whether they ask for it or not, and this latest round is no different. A rumor making the rounds has Texas linked to Cincinnati right-hander Hunter Greene, with the buzz spreading through social media and a Jim Bowden column that leaned on second-hand talk rather than anything confirmed. For a club that always seems to live in the middle of deadline speculation, it is another reminder that once July turns into August, the noise can move fast.
Greenes situation is what makes the rumor linger, because he is not the kind of arm a team casually dangles without a bigger plan in mind. Cincinnatis posture matters here too, since the Reds appear more inclined to retool than to tear everything down, which makes any talk of moving a young starter more complicated than the rumor mill suggests. For the Rangers, it leaves the familiar deadline question hanging in the air: are they actually in on this, or just getting pulled into another round of speculation? [Read more 🡒]
Brady Singer Is Putting The Reds At A Deadline Crossroads
With the Rangers sitting atop the AL West despite a slightly above-.500 record, the trade deadline is starting to look like a chance to shore up the one area that still feels unfinished. Texas has been searching for rotation help, and the conversation naturally turns to a few names who could fit the bill, with Brady Singer among the more interesting possibilities because of the way his situation lines up with the market.
Singers contract status gives the Reds a reason to listen, and it also gives a contender like Texas a chance to pounce if the price is right. The Rangers are not alone in weighing starting pitching, though, and the broader pool includes other arms with varying levels of certainty, leaving Texas to decide whether to strike early or keep waiting for the right deal to surface. [Read more 🡒]