NEW YORK (TIP): Arjun Nimmala has become the first Indian American teen and second Indian American ever to make it into the Major League Baseball draft after being picked by the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday, July 2.
Nimmala, 17, who originally played cricket, is a shortstop from Strawberry Crest High School in Dover, Florida. Standing 6-foot-1, he describes himself as a “patient-aggressive” hitter. He ranked 11th on the prospect rankings. In Sunday night’s first round, the Blue Jays selected Nimmala as 20th overall.
No Indian American has ever played in the majors. While Nimmala is the first teen to be drafted from the Indian American community, Kumar Rocker was the first player to do so back in 2021 at the age of 21 by the New York Mets and again in 2022 by the Texas Rangers, according to a report.
The 20th pick comes with an approximate slot value of $3.75 million. Shane Farell, the Blue Jays’ director of amateur scouting, described Nimmala as “an overall tool package, combined with the age and overall upside of the player.” Nimmala is set to attend Florida State University this fall, but the Blue Jays nonetheless expect to sign him. If all goes according to plan, Nimmala will kick off his new journey with a two-week orientation at the team’s minor-league complex in Dunedin, which sits just about an hour away from his home.
Nimmala was born and raised in the US by parents who came from Andhra Pradesh, India and kept Indian traditions and customs alive in their home, while still trying to blend into their American surroundings.
Nimmala has broken barriers by becoming the first first-generation Indian American to be drafted this high in any of the four major sports, according to MLB.com. Kumar Rocker was chosen third overall by the Texas Rangers in the 2022 Draft, but his mother is a first-generation Indian American, making Kumar the second generation born and raised in the US, it noted.