Rookie Review: Nolan Reimold

by John Sickels on Oct 12, 2009 8:00 AM EDT

Nolan Reimold was a second round pick in 2005, out of Bowling Green University, where he'd hit .360/.496/.770 with 20 homers, coming in second in NCAA Division I in slugging. Scouts weren't sure about what his batting average and OBP would look like against pro pitching, but they liked his power. He hit .285/.385/.551 in 73 games in his pro debut, split between Aberdeen in the New York-Penn League and Frederick in the Carolina League. I gave him a Grade B in the 2006 book, noting that he has excellent potential if the strike zone didn't get away from him.

Reimold spent 2006 with Frederick, but had a less impressive season than his debut, hitting .255/.379/.455. He drew 76 walks and stole 14 bases, and his numbers were a bit better than they looked on the surface once you adjusted for league context. He had injury problems, including a sore back and a bad foot, so I cut him some slack with the book grade and left him with a Grade B rating, writing that with better health he could put up much stronger numbers in '07, even at a higher level of competition.

Promoted to Double-A Bowie for 2007, he indeed had the big performance outburst, hitting.306/.365/.565. Alas, it was in just 50 games, as he missed most of the season with a strained oblique. Despite the split numbers, his strike zone judgment went backwards compared to previous standards. He was also now 24 years old. I lowered him slightly to Grade B-, writing that '08 was a critical season for him.

Reimold returned to Bowie for 2008, a rather conservative assignment I thought. He hit .284/.367/.501, with 25 homers, and regained his plate discipline with 63 walks, 82 strikeouts in 507 at-bats. I noted the age problem (now 25) and gave him another Grade B- in the book this year, writing that I thought he would be a solid hitter but probably not a star.

Triple-A Norfolk was Reimold's destination to begin 2009. He thrived there, hitting .394/.485/.743 in 31 games, clearly too good for the competition. Promoted to the majors on May 14^th, he had a successful rookie year for the Orioles, hitting .279/.365/.466 in 104 games, hitting 15 homers with 47 walks and 77 strikeouts in 358 at-bats. His performance wasn't out of line for expectation, although it was at the upper end of what you'd expect given his MLEs. UZR doesn't like his glovework, giving him a -10.1 rating on the season. His defensive scouting reports have always been positive, indicating decent corner range and a strong throwing arm. I'd be interested in reports from Orioles fans about how they regard Reimold's defense.

Looking at things month by month, he was effective in May (.863 OPS), June (.940 OPS), then went into a slump in July (.748 OPS) and especially August (.719 OPS) before finishing with a flourish in September (1.006 OPS) before his season ended early with an Achilles injury.

Reimold will be 26 in 2010 and is entering his peak seasons now. I think it's most likely that what you see is what you get here, and that he'll settle in as a .260-.280 hitter with a good on-base percentage and 20 homers in an average year, not a superstar but certainly solid, sort of a Kevin McReynolds, Tom Brunansky type. He may have more than that in him.

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Yeah that's true

I think he’ll have a few seasons where he hits .285+ with 25 homers…hopefully….from an orioles fan

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by Jordan Tuwiner on Oct 12, 2009 8:08 AM EDT via mobile reply actions

Interested in how the fans see Reimold's D

I consulted the Fan Scouting Report. He received a 2.91 overall (on a 1-5 scale). His highest rating was arm strength (3.6), his lowest reaction/instincts (2.3).

I like steak.

by Conjunction on Oct 12, 2009 9:29 AM EDT reply actions

had to pass this along..

You can’t stop Rye-mold. You can only hope to contain him in a cool, dry place.

As for his D; there is reason to believe in an upside. Adam Jones once said he ‘runs like a gazelle’.
Considering the gaping hole at 1b in Baltimore, he will certainly have an opportunity to take that position.

by b_duardo on Oct 12, 2009 10:16 AM EDT reply actions

Reimold's Defense

He struggled with an achilles problem all year, and that could have been one of the reasons he struggled some this year. That being said I don’t think he’ll ever be more than average. He has very surprising straight line speed (as his SB% will attest to) but he takes some poor routes and doesn’t get good jumps. He does have a plus arm for left.

by Birdfan01 on Oct 12, 2009 2:04 PM EDT reply actions

Defense

Reimold was used almost exclusively as a RF in the O’s minors, for whatever reason. He was learning left on the job in Baltimore. He certainly didn’t take to the position too quickly, but if he recovers fully from his surgery, I expect that he can show average range/instincts with a plus arm. He showed great work ethic his first year with the O’s, so I’d expect that he’ll put a lot of work into it.

by James F on Oct 12, 2009 4:29 PM EDT reply actions

The thing that impressed and surprised me the most about Reimold

was his batting eye. I saw him a lot in 2008, and that never seemed to be a particular strength for him.

Even atheists believe in Matt Wieters

by wickedwitch on Oct 12, 2009 5:47 PM EDT reply actions

Thanks for an excellent report on Reimold

I watched many games this year. Reimold has excellent plate discipline and walks a lot. His arm is good. He doesn’t make many mistakes. He also has good speed. He hit his first 10 HRs quickly and then cooled off, only to hit a few more at then end of the season. I am hopeful that he will develop into a .285 hitter with 25-30HRs a year. Very acceptable.

by BaltoBen on Oct 13, 2009 12:01 PM EDT reply actions

Like Birdfan01 said

Reimold played the whole year with a partially attached (I think 25% attached) achilles. I believe that Reimold said he was running on the side of the foot instead of running normally. His range should increase but by how much is the question
He was shut down early so that he could have enough recovery time from the surgery to be able to play in spring training

by OsandRoyals on Oct 13, 2009 12:47 PM EDT reply actions