Arjun Nimmala is the ninth overall best prospect in next month’s MLB Draft. His high school statistics, offensively, are impressive. In 77 games for the Chargers (Strawberry Crest High School [FL]), Nimmala hit .382, collecting 81 hits in 263 plate appearances, including 22 doubles, three triples, and nine home runs, while driving in 77 runs. In addition to his phenomenal high school baseball career, Nimmala also played in Major League baseball’s All-American high school game in 2022.
Originally committed to attending Florida State University, Nimmala will forego that opportunity to sign a major league contract, especially given the fact he is in the top ten prospects, in the upcoming draft, overall. While prospect projection rarely correlates to the team picking at that number, for all intents and purposes, the Colorado Rockies have the ninth pick in round one. Whenever his name is called, Nimmala will be arguably the most famous individual from the relatively small Tampa suburb of Dover, Florida.
Arjun Nimmala Draft Profile
Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 55 | Run: 50 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 55
Strengths
One of the most appealing aspects of Nimmala’s game is his ability to hit the ball to all fields. He has good patience at the plate and looks for advantageous pitches to crush. Additionally, Nimmala has a cannon for an arm. Also, he has the potential to be a starting shortstop for an MLB team for a long time. His fielding capability is also astounding. In 77 games, Nimmala only committed 15 errors, for a fielding percentage of .942. For his size, Nimmala has what is considered to be above-average MLB-caliber power, at the plate. Nimmala is also said to have above-average MLB prospect speed on the base paths. In 77 high school games, Nimmala swiped a total of 31 bases.
Weaknesses
He has shown at times, that he will chase a bad pitch, which leads to inconsistent offensive rhythm at the plate. To get back on track, Nimmala will prioritize contact and put his power-hitting on the back burner as a result. While his number of stolen bases is decent, his numbers significantly declined in that department over the years. After stealing what would be a career-high of 15 bases during his sophomore year, the following season that number fell to seven. In his final season, as a senior in 2023, Nimmala stole 9 bases. While the drop-off in stolen bases may have nothing to do with Nimmala and may be based on situational baseball, the significant drop-off is an anomaly teams may further analyze.
MLB Comparison
The 6′-1″, 170-pound Nimmala is likely to draw physical comparisons and attributes of a strong arm and a bat with pop, to San Diego Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts. Bogaerts also is 6′-1″, but weighs around 210 pounds. When Bogaerts first came to the Majors, he weighed 185 pounds. The expectation is Nimmala will also add muscle mass like Bogaerts has done. Another difference between Nimmala and Bogaerts is their route to the Major Leagues. Bogaerts was signed by a Boston Red Sox scout at the age of 16. Nimmala, on the other hand, will be acquired via the MLB Draft. Whether Nimmala surpasses Bogaerts’ four All-Star appearances, two World Series Championships, an All-MLB First-Team selection, and five Silver Slugger awards remains to be seen. Being a top-ten pick in the MLB Draft cannot hurt Nimmala’s chances of doing so, that is for certain.
Photo Credit: © Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
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