Arjun Nimmala
{{Short description|American baseball player (born 2005)}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name = Arjun Nimmala
|image =
|team = Toronto Blue Jays
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|position = Shortstop
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|2005|10|16}}
|birth_place = Tampa, Florida, U.S.
|bats = Right
|throws = Right
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Arjun Nimmala (born October 16, 2005) is an American professional baseball shortstop in the Toronto Blue Jays organization. He is ranked first on Major League Baseball's 2025 Top 30 Blue Jays prospects list,{{cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/prospects/bluejays/|title=Prospect Rankings 2025|work=MLB.com|accessdate=March 25, 2025}} and 86th overall on the 2025 Top 100 MLB prospects list.{{cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/milb/prospects/top100/|title=Top 100 Baseball Prospects|work=MLB.com|accessdate=March 25, 2025}}
Early life
Nimmala's parents immigrated to the United States from India.{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/37929232/mlb-draft-2023-arjun-nimmala-cricket-baseball|title=MLB draft 2023: Arjun Nimmala swaps cricket for baseball|first=Kiley|last=McDaniel|website=ESPN.com|date=June 29, 2023|access-date=June 29, 2023}} As a youth, Nimmala primarily played cricket and spent his summers visiting his relatives in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh.{{cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/news/arjun-nimmala-guide|title=Get to know Draft prospect Arjun Nimmala|first=Henry|last=Palattella|website=MLB.com|date=June 27, 2023|access-date=June 28, 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://americankahani.com/lead-stories/field-of-dreams-indian-american-teen-arjun-nimmala-among-top-15-pick-of-major-league-baseball-draft-class/|title=Field of Dreams: Indian American Teen Arjun Nimmala Among Top-15 Pick of Major League Baseball Draft Class|first=Bhargavi|last=Kulkarni|work=American Kahani|date=July 1, 2023|access-date=July 3, 2023}} His family spoke Telugu at home.{{cite news |last1=Murti |first1=Sweeney |title=Nimmala's Draft journey an inspiration for Indian Americans like me |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/arjun-nimmala-2023-mlb-draft-journey-and-influence |access-date=13 September 2024 |work=MLB.com |publisher=Major League Baseball |date=July 9, 2023 |language=en}} He lives in Valrico, Florida.{{cite web|url=https://www.fox13news.com/sports/strawberry-crest-baseball-player-preparing-for-mlb-draft|title=Strawberry Crest baseball player preparing for MLB Draft|first=Kevin|last=O'Donnell|website=FOX13News.com|date=March 6, 2023|access-date=March 15, 2023}}
Amateur career
Nimmala attended Strawberry Crest High School. He committed to play college baseball at Florida State University while he was a freshman in high school.{{cite web|url=https://247sports.com/college/florida-state/Article/FSU-Baseball-Recruiting-Breaking-Down-2023-Recruiting-Class-Seminoles-Link-Jarrett-197192709/|title=FSU Baseball Recruiting: 'Noles will Add 16 Prep Prospects in 2023 Recruiting Class|first=Brett|last=Nevitt|website=247Sports.com|date=November 15, 2022|access-date=February 21, 2023}}
Nimmala was named the Florida Gatorade player of the Year and the Wade Boggs Athletic Award, given to the best player in Hillsborough County, Florida, as a senior after batting .479 with six home runs and 29 runs batted in (RBIs).{{cite web|url=https://patch.com/florida/brandon/wade-boggs-athletic-award-presented-strawberry-crest-high-student|title=Wade Boggs Athletic Award Presented To Strawberry Crest High Student|first=D'Ann|last=Lawrence White|website=Patch.com|date=June 15, 2023|access-date=June 28, 2023}}
Professional career
The Toronto Blue Jays selected Nimmala in the first round, with the 20th overall selection, in the 2023 Major League Baseball draft.{{cite web|url=https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/blue-jays-swing-big-with-20th-pick-bet-on-17-year-old-nimmalas-upside/|title=Blue Jays swing big with 20th pick, bet on 17-year-old Nimmala's upside|last=Davidi|first=Shi|work=Sportsnet|date=July 9, 2023|accessdate=July 9, 2023}} He signed with the Blue Jays on July 17, 2023, for a below slot value of $3,000,000.{{Cite web |last=Bannon |first=Mitch |date=July 17, 2023 |title=Blue Jays Sign 2023 1st-Round Draft Pick Arjun Nimmala |url=https://www.si.com/mlb/bluejays/news/blue-jays-sign-2023-first-round-pick-arjun-nimmala |access-date=July 17, 2023 |website=si.com}} Nimmala appeared in nine games for the Rookie-level Florida Complex League Blue Jays, batting .200 with three RBIs, and 14 walks against eight strikeouts.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=nimmal000arj|title=Arjun Nimmala Minor Leagues Statistics|work=Baseball-Reference.com|accessdate=November 30, 2023}} In 2024, Nimmala played primarily for the Low-A Dunedin Blue Jays, appearing in 90 total games and batting .232 with 17 home runs, 47 RBI, and nine stolen bases. Nimmala began the 2025 season with the High-A Vancouver Canadians.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Baseballstats|mlb=805796|brm=nimmal000arj}}
{{2023 MLB Draft}}
{{Toronto Blue Jays first-round draft picks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nimmala, Arjun}}
Category:American people of Telugu descent
Category:American sportspeople of Indian descent
Category:Baseball players from Florida
Category:Baseball players from Hillsborough County, Florida
Category:Dunedin Blue Jays players
Category:Florida Complex League Blue Jays players
Category:Minor league baseball players
Category:Sportspeople from Valrico, Florida
Category:Vancouver Canadians players
{{US-baseball-shortstop-stub}}