Arjun Nimmala's deceptive speed

Arjun Nimmala embodies the pride of India and is diligently pursuing his full potential. In 2023, he didn’t play in too many games, appearing in only 9 games with a total of 40 plate appearances, so for fairness, let’s begin with the 2024 comparison instead. In 2024, he played at the ROK and A levels, totaling over 340 at-bats between the two lower levels in the minor leagues.

It seems as though Nimmala could be appearing in 90+ games for the Vancouver Canadians, the A+ affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Not only is Nimmala doing better than in 2024, but he is doing it at a higher level of baseball. In total, based on the plate appearances he had in 2024, he is due for over 170 more plate appearances in the season as of the writing of this article on June 5th, 2024. At this point, with plenty of games left, he has already grounded into 7 double plays, compared to 5 all season in 2024; however, his GIDP is only 6 less than all of last year at this point of the season. The data indicates that there were nearly double the opportunities for fielders to turn a hit ball into double plays. At this pace, Nimmala is slowly developing into quite a speedster. Throughout last season, his GIDPO was 47, and he was caught stealing 5 times. Keep in mind, he is due to have over 170 more plate appearances. 

Nimmala’s speed is indicative of his ROE, plays in which he was able to reach base on error. Speed forces errors, or does it? His running scouting grade is measured at 50, which would qualify him as a somewhat average runner. But his acceleration for short distances is pretty outstanding, measuring a 10-yard split of 1.63 seconds. His 60-yard dash time measured 6.54 seconds. Although these times are relatively fast, they might not stand out in comparison to other speedsters. But he’s only 19 years old. Imagine just how fast he will be in three years with the proper training regimen.

While not yet exceptionally fast, he is deceptively quick because of his ability to start fast. Some scouting reports indicate that he still lags behind Shohei Ohtani, whose 60-yard dash clocks in under 3.9 seconds. That grades Shohei’s speed at 80, which is top-notch.

Some believe that as Nimmala matures, his speed, which is currently slightly better than average, may decrease. But we cannot assume this, as everyone is different. Opportunities for fielders to convert a play into a double play indicate that Arjun Nimmala is faster than he appears to be. He is deceptively faster than most people believe. 

While speed could be one of his strengths, his hitting has also greatly improved. In all of last year, he had 74 hits. At a higher level, this season, he already has 55 hits. At this rate, he is on pace to have 90-100 hits. That’s a possible 26-hit difference. This is quite an improvement. He’s improving in the speed and hitting aspects of his game. The future is bright for youngster Arjun Nimmala.