Brandon Nimmo Compares Teammate to ex-Mets' Cy Young Winner

New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo had some high praise for his teammate who is pitching like an ace.

Aug 27, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; New York Mets pitcher Sean Manaea in the seventh inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

This New York Mets' starter has stepped up as the ace of their staff as the team pushes to try and capture a Wild Card spot in the NL.

In Tuesday night's 8-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, left-hander Sean Manaea delivered another strong performance for the Mets, going 6.2 innings while allowing three runs on four hits and striking out 11 batters with no walks.

After the game, outfielder Brandon Nimmo gave tremendous props to Manaea by comparing him to a Mets legend and multi-time Cy Young winner.

In an on the field conversation with Steve Gelbs of SNY following the win, Nimmo said Manaea's recent run has reminded him of former teammate and ace Jacob deGrom.

"The last guy that I've seen kind of pitch like this was probably [Jacob] deGrom, where you're just going through it, just swing-and-miss, swing-and-miss and go back to the dugout,” he said. “It’s pretty impressive to watch and I know from facing him that he’s not an easy at-bat. He’s also found another gear and kicked it in. ... He’s taken it to a new level and it’s fun to watch.”

"The last guy that I've seen kind of pitch like this was probably deGrom, where you're just going through it, just swing-and-miss, swing-and-miss and go back to the dugout"

Brandon Nimmo caught up with @SteveGelbs to talk Sean Manaea and more after the Mets' win! pic.twitter.com/TIwLAgBArs

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 28, 2024

This is a ringing endorsement for Manaea, as deGrom won back-to-back Cy Young Awards with the Mets in 2018 and 2019, and leads the franchise in ERA (2.52) among other major statistical categories. DeGrom was also the best pitcher in baseball during a significant portion of his tenure in Queens.

The Mets have had five games where a pitcher has struck out 10 or more batters this year and Manaea has notched four of them. The 32-year-old has 73 punch outs across his last 67.1 innings (11 starts) dating back to July 2.

Since June 14, Manaea holds a 2.93 ERA in 83 total innings. On the season, the southpaw has posted a 10-5 record, a 3.51 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP and 149 strikeouts in 143.2 innings (26 starts).

Comparing Manaea to deGrom might be a bit of a stretch, but he is having a similar impact in his recent stretch and has emerged as a frontline starter.

The Mets are three games back of the Atlanta Braves for the third and final NL Wild Card spot with just 30 games left to play. They will need Manaea to keep this momentum going if they hope to punch a ticket to the postseason.