Today’s prospect is the highest-ranked draftee from the 2023 draft!
This is Blue Jays Nation’s annual pre-season list, in which I’ll take a look at the top 50 prospects in the organization. We’ll look at the player’s stats, my observations, and other publications’ scouting reports if available.
Let’s take a look at Arjun Nimmala
Getting to know Arjun Nimmala…
Position: Shortstop
Bats: Right
Born: October 16, 2005
Acquired: 1st-round, 2023 draft (Blue Jays)
2023 Team: Florida Complex League Jays
Previous Ranking: 3
It was a bit of a shock when the then 17-year-old shortstop fell to the Jays in the 2023 draft, as he ranked as MLB Pipeline’s 11th-best draft prospect. His $3 million signing bonus was even more surprising, as the slot value for this pick was $3.75 million last season.
Nimmala’s tenure in professional baseball has been brief. After he was drafted, Nimmala headed to the Florida Complex League, where he slashed .200/.500/.320 with no home runs, but three extra base hits. Moreover, he walked 14 times (35 BB%) and only struck out eight times (20 K%), all for a 148 wRC+.
As you can imagine, Nimmala ranks high on most publications’ lists. Fangraphs has the 18-year-old as the Blue Jays’ third-best prospect. Coincidentally, that’s exactly where he ranks on Baseball America’s and TSN’s Scott Mitchell’s lists as well.
Fangraphs note that the 6’1”, 170 lbs shortstop is incredibly projectable, but already has a ton of raw power. For context, they have him at a 55 grade for current raw power, with his future value being a 70 grade. His scouting report also states that he struggles with breaking balls and did so in the professional ranks as well. There’s a lot of bust potential, but he could be a star.
The upside is what ranks him so high on all lists, and while there’s risk, his potential is probably the highest of any prospect in the organization except for maybe Ricky Tiedemann. As he fills out his frame, he may move to third base, but 2024 will be a big season for Nimmala.
It’s to be seen where he starts in 2024, but it’ll likely be the Florida Complex League as the start date for that league has moved to early May now. If he performs well, Single-A Dunedin may be in his sights.
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