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Nimmala Named Arizona Fall League Hitter of the Week
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- Nimmala Named Arizona Fall League Hitter of the Week
(USA TODAY SPORTS)
The Los Angeles Angels are getting another encouraging sign from one of their most important acquisitions at the trade deadline.
Shortstop Arjun Nimmala was named the Arizona Fall League's Hitter of the Week on Monday after an impressive three-game stretch for the Mesa Solar Sox.
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Nimmala, the Angels' No. 1 prospect and MLB Pipeline's No. 34 overall prospect, hit .545 (6-for-11) with two doubles, two triples, three RBIs and five runs scored during the week.
He also drew four walks while striking out just once, producing a .667 on-base percentage, 1.091 slugging percentage and 1.758 OPS.
According to MLB Pipeline , Nimmala led the Fall League in slugging percentage, OPS, total bases (12) and extra-base hits (four) during the award period.
One of his best performances was a four-hit game in which he collected two triples and came close to hitting for the cycle.
The strong week raised his overall Fall League batting line to .344/.488/.625 through eight games.
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He also showed better command of the strike zone, drawing four walks while striking out just once.
He earned additional recognition Monday when Baseball America ranked him No. 1 on its weekly list of the 10 hottest Arizona Fall League prospects.
For the Angels, his performance is particularly significant because of what they gave up to acquire him.
Los Angeles landed Nimmala from the Toronto Blue Jays in the August trade that sent All-Star pitcher José Soriano to Toronto.
The 21-year-old quickly made an impression after joining Double-A Rocket City, posting a .260/.389/.577 batting line over 27 games.
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He hit seven home runs over his final 11 regular-season games and added three more during the Southern League playoffs.
That included a stretch in which Nimmala homered in three consecutive games , helping the Trash Pandas capture their first Southern League championship.
As Roundtable previously reported , Nimmala headed to the Arizona Fall League after a busy season that included several minor league stops and his trade to Los Angeles.
The Fall League has given him another opportunity to demonstrate his abilities against some of baseball's top young talent.
Nimmala was Toronto's first-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft and has long been regarded as a promising power-hitting shortstop.
After finishing the minor league season on a tear, Nimmala has carried that production into Arizona, giving the Angels more reason to believe their investment in the Soriano trade could pay off.
