New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo met with more than 100 kids from the Junior Mets Youth Baseball Camp on July 28 at Citi Field, where he talked about his love for the sport and the experiences he had with camps like this when he was a kid.
Additionally, he answered questions from the kids covering his experience in MLB and players he looked up to as a kid.
This special meeting was the culmination of the inaugural week-long camp, which was held at Leavitts Park. The camp aims to introduce baseball to youths in the community at an early age, create access to underserved groups and develop skills and fundamentals to help children foster a love for the game and create a pathway for the future of the sport. Access to the sport is provided through no-cost educational clinics, baseball curriculum lessons and equipment and ticket donations for local youth athletes. The focus of this inaugural Junior Mets Youth Baseball Camp was to provide baseball instruction to local underserved youth baseball and softball players at no cost.
“This is a huge part of baseball and trying to pass it on to the next generation,” Nimmo said. “These are the things that I did when I was young: going to camps and having fun with friends. It’s so special that I get to be a part of that now in a mentor role. I remember getting to meet my first big leaguer and it was such a cool experience. You just learn that they’re normal guys who just try to work really hard and acquire skills and master them. It’s something that’s attainable for them as well.”
The biggest piece of advice Nimmo emphasized to the Junior Mets kids was to have fun and enjoy playing the game and spending time with friends. He said these qualities are helpful when it comes to putting the work in to improving their skills in the game. According to Nimmo, one of the biggest takeaways he hopes the Junior Mets get out of the camp is to try and learn as much as they can from their coaches, mentors and even peers.
“Baseball is a lot of trial and error,” Nimmo said. “I still [learn] to this day. You have to be willing to listen to other people in order to adapt and stick around in this game. There’s a lot of different ways to do it.”
While many of the Junior Mets would probably say Nimmo is their favorite player, one of them asked which player he idolized as a kid. Having grown up in Wyoming, the nearest MLB team to him was the Colorado Rockies. Nimmo said his favorite player to watch was former Rockies first baseman Todd Helton. He and his family would often make the two-hour trek from Cheyenne, Wyoming to Denver, Colorado to watch him play.
Nimmo also went into detail on what he said was one of his favorite moments in the big leagues: robbing a home run during a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2022. “It was one of the best feelings I ever had,” Nimmo said. “I knew that was a really tough play and I knew as I took my last step that it was a long shot of whether or not I’d be able to get there. When I felt it hit my glove and came down with it, the crowd went crazy. It was in a big situation in a big series. It was one of the best feelings I’ve ever had.”
Over the course of the week-long camp, the Junior Mets worked with local coaches to improve their skills in the game. In addition to Nimmo, the Junior Mets had heard from Mets alum Todd Zeile earlier in the week. They also learned from the baseball operations staff for the Mets. Each of the kids who participated in the camp received a special edition Junior Mets camp uniform. They also received award plaques at the camp’s conclusion, after Nimmo finished speaking to them.
