Arjun Nimmala’s first stretch with the Los Angeles Angels has been a little strange on paper, but there’s enough in the numbers to suggest the former Blue Jays top prospect is still doing plenty of damage.
The 20-year-old infielder, who became the Angels’ No. 1 prospect right after the trade deadline deal that sent José Soriano to Toronto, has only hit .188 in 43 plate appearances since the move. That kind of batting average usually tells one story. Nimmala’s overall line tells another.
As of this past Monday, he was sitting on a 122 wRC+, which means he has still produced above-average offense despite the low average. The full line since joining the Angels’ system was .188/.395/.375, with four extra-base hits, a 25.6% walk rate and a 23.3% strikeout rate.
That .395 on-base percentage is doing a lot of the heavy lifting. Nimmala has not been living off singles or a hot batting average; instead, he has found ways to reach base by working counts and taking his walks. In other words, he has been creating value even when the ball hasn’t been falling in for hits.
The early numbers look odd, but they should probably settle down as the season goes on. Nimmala has already shown he can hit at a much higher level than what the current average suggests, and there’s little reason to think he’ll stay below .200 for long in 2026.
Before the trade, he was rolling with Toronto’s Double-A affiliate in New Hampshire. In 33 games with the Fisher Cats, he hit .279 with an .806 OPS, scored 21 runs, and added nine doubles, four home runs and 11 RBIs. That kind of production is why the Angels were excited to get him, and why the rough batting average in his new organization looks more like a short-term hiccup than a real concern.
Toronto, for its part, has gotten a decent start from Soriano. Through four starts with the Blue Jays, he is 1-1 with a 4.22 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 21.1 innings.
Early on, this looked like the kind of deal both clubs could feel good about, and the first returns have backed that up. Right now, Toronto may have the slight edge because Soriano is already helping at the MLB level, but the bigger picture still looks open-ended.
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