Even after an All Star-caliber 2018 season in which he batted .263/.404/.483, there was room for concern about Brandon Nimmo. He stumbled early, racking up dozens of strikeouts by mid-April, and then promptly fell off a cliff offensively and defensively as he played through a neck injury. The injury alone was alarming both in its defiance of an easily understood diagnosis as well as it’s proximity to the spinal condition that ended David Wright’s career prematurely.
For many, the fact that Nimmo returned at all this season was a pleasant surprise, with the thought of possibly producing for the team just a distant hope.