Nimmala tore out of the gate to start 2025, hitting .289/.372/.528 when the sun rose on June 1 with just an 18 percent strikeout rate, but it didn’t last, leading to a very mixed second full year in pro ball. A combination of some nagging injuries he played through, some fatigue and pitchers adjusting to him without him adjusting back in turn led to a collapse in his production. He hit just .184/.277/.290 the rest of the year, with a 24 percent strikeout rate that was still a huge reduction from the prior year. Toronto’s 2024 first-round pick, Nimmala was only 17 on draft day, and spent all of 2025 in High A at age 19, making him the fourth-youngest regular at that level — and two of the younger players ahead of him are on this list (Leo De Vries and Franklin Arias). He still has plus power, improved his contact rate while moving up a level and still projects to stick at shortstop. He’ll play all of 2026 at age 20, probably in Double A, and I expect him to continue to progress after an offseason of recovery. If he hits enough to get to his power, his profile is 25-plus homers with plus defense at short.
