Prospect of Interest: Blue Jays make Arjun Nimmala highest-drafted Indian American

The Toronto Blue Jays selected 17-year-old shortstop Arjun Nimmala with the 20th overall pick in the first round of Sunday’s MLB Draft.

One of the best stories in the 2023 Draft, Nimmala became the highest-selected first-generation Indian American and is looking to become the first player of Indian descent to play Major League Baseball.

Nimmala was one of the highest-touted high school hitters in the draft, coming off a 2022-23 season in which he won the Gatorade Florida Baseball Player of the Year while playing at Strawberry Crest High School in Dover, Fla. He was also an Under Armour All-American and first-team All-Conference selection.

In one of the deepest drafts in recent memory, the Blue Jays were able to add MLB Pipeline’s No. 11 prospect with the 20th pick.

Here’s what you need to know about Toronto’s latest first-round pick. 

Age: 17
School: Strawberry Crest HS (FL)
Position: Shortstop
Commitment: Florida State
Height: Six-foot-one | Weight: 170 lbs
Scouting grades (Per MLB Pipeline): Hit: 50 | Power: 55 | Run: 50 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 55
2023 Stats: AVG: .479 | 6 HR| 29 RBI | 30 Runs | .573 OBP | .904 SLG | 9 SB

Indian Heritage

Nimmala is very proud of his Indian Heritage and grew up playing cricket both at home in Florida and on trips back to visit family and friends in India.

At the MLB Draft Combine, the newest Blue Jay spoke about what it means to him to represent his family’s history.

“That means a lot. There’s not many Indian American players in the big leagues,” he said. “For Indians, it’s mostly cricket, and the transition to baseball has been a lot.

“Hopefully, one day, I can inspire young Indian Americans to play and get more Indians into the sport.”

Nimmala told MLB.com that his father pushed toward baseball in search of a sport similar to cricket. Ever since, the 2005-born infielder has risen up the ranks — ending as the top-ranked high school infielder in 2023. 

Scouting Reports

Nimmala has impressive raw power — more than his six-foot-one, 170-pound would suggest possible. 

At such a young age, there is, undoubtedly, room for him to grow and get bigger and stronger as he joins the pro-ball ranks.

He was a consensus top-20 prospect in the draft, coming in at No. Eight in The Athletic’s rankings, No. Nine at Baseball Prospectus, No. 11 at both ESPN and MLB Pipeline and No. 17 at Baseball America.

According to MLB Pipeline, “Nimmala is all about projection. He calls himself a ‘patient-aggressive’ hitter and definitely doesn’t get cheated at the plate. He has at least plus raw power and can drive the ball to all fields, and while there are still some issues about his pitch selection and inconsistency in the quality of his at-bats that sometimes keeps him from tapping into that power, scouts are bullish about his offensive upside.”

On the defensive side of the field, prospect experts believe he can stick at shortstop long-term.

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After being selected on Sunday, Nimmala was interviewed on the MLB Network broadcast and was asked about what he needs to work on as he transitions into the Blue Jays organization.

“I think I can work on all aspects of my game,” he said. “Every aspect of my game, I feel, is very good, and I feel like I can improve on every part.”

There is always risk in selecting high school players. For Nimmala, that risk likely lies in some of the hit-tool questions and swing-and-miss in his game. As pitching improves at each level, swing-and-miss is usually magnified when facing better stuff and more experienced arms.

But Nimmala’s profile is as good, if not better, than you can ask for at the 20th pick and as a 17-year-old, he will have lots of time to develop and grow with the Blue Jays. 

Player Comparisons

Nimmala has spent time training with New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor — who he also called his favourite player.

He often draws comparisons to the four-time all-star defensively, With Baseball America saying, “he has the requisite actions and arm strength for the position. He’s a bouncy athlete who moves well to both sides and has solid hands” about his defensive chops.

But offensively, Alfonso Soriano has come up often as a common comparison.

Soriano was a power-hitting middle infielder early in his career who smacked over 400 home runs over 12 MLB seasons.

In his pre-draft rankings, ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel also mentioned that scouts have seen Carlos Correa and Javier Baez vibes offensively.

While difficult — and probably unwise — to try and project any amateur athlete, if Nimmala can emerge with a Soriano-like profile while sticking in at shortstop, he will have a very successful career.

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