I'm looking up and down the roster in my head and much as I see Brandon Nimmo's OBP as a real asset for this team, and his hustle a dream, I think his walkhunting has turned into a real problem. Breaking for first before getting the go-ahead from the home plate ump has not merely led to embarrassment, but is kind of showing up the ump, and by extension, all umps everywhere.
That not only makes him less likely to give you the 3-2 pitch in the moment, but less likely to give you borderline calls the next time, and the time after that. And his friends are likely to feel the same.
I already got the idea that he was getting on the shit side of umps after getting called twice in one season for hit-by-pitch-hunting. And being halfway to first before understanding that the ump was calling him back.
I don't know when robo umps are going to take over home plate, but when they do, I fully expect him to be rewarded with a grand surfeit of walks. Until that happens, though, he needs to attempt to be at least a little cool.
It's tough enough to see him looking less like a centerfielder every week. If he's going to stick on a corner, he needs to sand the rough edges down off his offensive game, and getting run up far too regularly looking at a borderline strike three has been rough.
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