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Former Toronto Blue Jays Top Prospect Turning Heads in Arizona Fall League
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- Former Toronto Blue Jays Top Prospect Turning Heads in Arizona Fall League
(Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images)
Former Toronto Blue Jays top prospect Arjun Nimmala is turning heads in the Arizona Fall League as a member of the Mesa Solar Sox.
Nimmala was rated No. 1 on the list of hottest prospects in the league by Baseball America on Monday. He was also rated as the Hitter of the Week by the league.
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He hit .545 last week with two doubles, two triples, three RBIs and four walks. He only struck out one time.
Nimmala is currently ranked as the No. 34 prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline.
The Blue Jays traded him to the Los Angeles Angels at the trade deadline for right-handed pitcher Jose Soriano. The Blue Jays are hoping that Soriano can help stabilize the starting rotation while the Angels are hoping that Nimmala can help anchor their farm system as they work to break the longest playoff drought in the sport.
About Nimmala with the Blue Jays
Drafted in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of the Florida high school ranks, Nimmala spent parts of three seasons in the organization. He struggled offensively for much of his tenure, but started to make some real gains this season. He hit .241 in 23 games for High-A Vancouver and then hit .279 in 33 games for Double-A New Hampshire. He had four home runs and 11 RBIs in that time, also stealing four bases.
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He performed even better when he got to Double-A with the Angels, hitting .260 with a .966 OPS. He had eight home runs in 27 games.
Toronto Blue Jays infielder Arjun Nimmala (18) singles during the fifth inning against the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
Why was he expendable?
Simply put, you have to give a little to get a little. Soriano is a good pitcher, so the Jays had to give up a good player. Perhaps the presence of JoJo Parker in the farm system also made it easier for the Jays to part with him.
As for Soriano
About to turn 28 years old later this week, Soriano made 32 starts this season between the Halos and the Blue Jays, going 12-8 with a 3.91 ERA. With Toronto, he wasn't quite as good as the overall numbers, going 3-2 with a 5.30 ERA in 10 starts. He struck out 42 batters in 54.1 innings while also walking 16. The Blue Jays will work to harness his control while also elevating his swing-and-miss profile.
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They were able to elevate Dylan Cease's strikeout numbers even more this season, so perhaps a similar improvement can be made for Soriano, despite them being two different kinds of pitchers.
Cease led the American League in K/9.
Soriano is under contract through 2028.
