Brandon Nimmo was in the outfield at Citi Field on Wednesday when manager Mickey Callaway pulled him aside and told him he would be hitting leadoff for the Mets on Opening Day.
The journey to get there and a flood of emotions — excitement, anxiety, appreciation and more — all came rushing back to the 25-year-old center fielder.
“I’ve been in that spot this spring, so I figured it could be a possibility and I was hoping it would be, but to actually get told, ‘Hey, you’re going to lead off [Thursday],’ that’s just a really cool feeling to be the first batter for the Mets in 2018 and to have that honor put on you,” Nimmo said, having a hard time containing the ear-to-ear grin across his face.
“It’s one of 162, but it’s an important one. It’s an important milestone. You hope it’s one of many.”
Never mind just spending his first Opening Day in the major leagues, Nimmo is getting the start and batting first for a team that’s brimming with confidence about what it’s capable of doing. And though he won’t be glued to that spot, as the Mets await the return of the injured Michael Conforto, that wasn’t going to damper his outlook.
The Wyoming native spent seven years in the minors working toward a day like Thursday.
“A lot of people think it’s a glorious lifestyle in the minor leagues — it was a grind for seven years,” said Nimmo, whose parents were flying in for the opener. “Being young and away from your family, you’re just on the road all the time and there’s just a lot of sacrifices that are made, not just by me but by others that surround me. It’s a good time to reflect and see what was able to bring this to fruition.”
Nimmo made his big-league debut June 26, 2016, but his 2017 arrival to Queens was delayed by a hamstring injury and he later suffered a collapsed lung. Through it all, in 101 games with the Mets, he has hit .264 with a .367 on-base percentage.
“To be able to be here now is just a dream come true,” the 2011 first-round pick said. “It’s been something I’ve thought about for a long time, ever since I can remember.”
