Arjun Nimmala Signs With Toronto Blue Jays; Becomes First Indian American Teenager Drafted in First Round
- The 17-year-old prospect was the 20th overall pick of this year's Major League Baseball draft.
Indian American teen Arjun Nimmala has signed with the Toronto Blue Jays. The 17-year-old prospect was the 20th overall pick of this year’s Major League Baseball draft. He is the first Indian American teenager drafted in the first round and could become the first to play in an MLB game.
Nimmala spent the past four seasons playing at Strawberry Crest High School in Dover, Florida. He finished the 2023 season with 35 hits and 29 runs batted in across 25 games, according to mlb.com. He hit .382 with 22 doubles, three triples, and nine home runs across 77 career games at the high school level, the league website added.
The six-foot-one, 170-pound shortstop describes himself as a “patient-aggressive” hitter at the plate who has plus raw power with the ability to drive the ball to all fields. His “athleticism and instincts at shortstop should give him every opportunity to stick there long-term, but his offensive upside is what has scouts most excited,” the league said. MLB said the young man “joins the Blue Jays at an important time for this club’s farm system. In the coming weeks — and surely the coming two or three years — the Blue Jays will lean on their prospect depth in trades as they look to win with their talented core.”
The 20th pick comes with “an approximate slot value of $3.75 million, The Athletic noted.