Blue Jays top prospect Arjun Nimmala, showing his defensive skills, helps turn ridiculous triple play

The Toronto Blue Jays' newly-ranked No. 3 prospect, shortstop Arjun Nimmala has been performing outstandingly for the Vancouver Canadians of the Northwest League, the Blue Jays' High-A minor league affiliate. While most of the attention he receives is because of his incredible power ability at the plate, he was recently involved in a rare feat that defenses are only able to pull off on occasion: a triple play.

A Triple Play?!

Playing against the Spokane Indians on Thursday night, the High-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, pitcher Aaron Munson fielder a grounder back to the mound and threw it to Nimmala who was covering second base: 1 out.

Nimmala transferred and threw the ball to first baseman Carter Cunningham as he would to convert a double play: 2 outs

Cunningham quickly chucked the ball home to newly-promoted catcher Edward Duran (Toronto's No. 1 catching prospect) who tagged out the runner at the plate for out #3 and the triple play.

His Defense Should Be Respected

Nimmala has risen over the past year in MLB Pipeline's top 100 prospects list, but he's prominently known for his skills at the plate. He's had a strong offensive season with the High-A Canadians, slashing .230/.321/.401 with 13 home runs and 54 RBI's and 15 stolen bases. His 27 doubles are second-best in the Northwest League (NWL), but he's only posted a 98 wRC+ in the NWL this year.

Recently surpassed in Toronto's organizational Pipeline prospect rankings by Trey Yesavage and JoJo Parker, their 2024 and 2025 first-round picks respectively, Nimmala sits third among Blue Jays prospects, but he's still someone to definitely keep a strong eye on going forward. Nimmala is only 19 years old, and is one of only 4 qualified NWL players under the age of 20 this season.

He's slashed his strikeout rate from a massive 30.7% in 2024 to a 21% rate this year, and he's still managing to walk in over 10% of his plate appearances. While his slugging percentage has fallen from last season, he's become a more well-rounded player, increasing his impact on the basepaths and on the defensive side of the ball in the meantime.

His participation in the aforementioned triple play is indicative of his prowess in the infield, showing that he can field his position in a quick and effective manner. Nimmala's glove and arm should not go unnoticed and he's going to continue to climb up the levels of Toronto's minor league affiliates over the next few seasons.