2023 – SS Arjun Nimmala
Finally, we have the 18-year-old sensation Arjun Nimmala. Selected 20th by the Jays from the 2023 MLB Draft out of Strawberry Crest High School, Nimmala became the highest ever first-generation Indian-American player to be drafted across the four major U.S. professional sports leagues. With his intricate background in cricket, he brought along with him a unique skill set to aid his game of baseball. In doing so, it helped put him among the elite in the 2023 draft class.
Nimmala started off his professional baseball career playing for the Rookie-level FCL Blue Jays in 2023, where he batted .200 with an .820 OPS, 7 runs scored, 3 RBI and 1 stolen base in 9 games played. More impressively, he demonstrated great plate discipline at such a very young age, walking 14 times while striking out only eight times. This season, Nimmala has split his time between the FCL Blue Jays and Single-A Dunedin. In 48 total games, he has posted a .219 average with a .791 OPS, along with 30 runs scored, 11 doubles, 5 triples, 6 home runs, 17 RBI and 5 stolen bases. His hitting may be still raw, but he has certainly shown he can also get things done on the basepaths with his speed. His fielding is still a work in progress, as he has made 14 errors in just 54 total career games for a .933 fielding percentage.
Currently ranked third on Jays Journal top prospects list, Nimmala has still a long journey ahead of him in terms of making it to the big leagues. But given his talent, potential and skill set, he will have a good shot at making it to the show in due time. For the time being, seeing that he still has multiple aspects of his game that he needs to work on and polish up, the pick is worth a C+ as of this moment.
Grade: C+