HOUSTON -- When Brandon Nimmo walked into the visitors’ clubhouse at Daikin Park on Saturday afternoon, he was welcomed by his name in big bright lights as if he were a Hollywood star on the theater marquee.
Nimmo, whom the Rangers acquired from the Mets in November, reached 10 years of MLB service time on Saturday, one of the greatest honors for anybody in baseball.
“It's kind of crazy,” Nimmo said. “There's a lot of pride in knowing the hard work that you've put in to get to this point. It's just, not as many people get to do it. You wouldn't know that by looking around this clubhouse. It is a special, special place to get to.
“Anyone who ever picks up a baseball usually dreams about playing in the big leagues for one day, let alone … 10 years. It's a good time to take a step back, no matter what's going on. Even after a game like yesterday, it still makes me pretty thankful for what we get to do and the fact that I've gotten to do it for so long.”
While Nimmo is thankful for the journey he has taken to get to this point, he also said it feels like a “birthday in the middle of a busy time in your life.”
He couldn’t be more correct. The Rangers are in the midst of a three-game series against the Astros, their in-state rival who currently sit atop the American League West just two days before Monday’s 5 p.m. CT Trade Deadline.
Texas sits at 55-55 entering Saturday’s matchup, with its eye still on making a postseason push at a half-game back of Houston (56-55), as well as a half-game back of the Guardians (56-55) in the AL Wild Card race.
“It's the culmination of a lot of hard work, so I feel a lot of pride in that,” Nimmo explained. “But right now my focus, I'm honestly more worried about the Trade Deadline and winning this series than a personal accomplishment. I think it's so great to have made it here … but at this point right now, I'm just more concerned with that.
“Winning as a team is way more fun than personal accomplishments. So I just want to win. I want to be a part of the champagne at the end of the year, popping the bottles, having fun with each other. I've been a part of that -- and that's the most fun I've had in my career.”
Nimmo’s team-centered focus says a lot about him. But it also says a lot about the group within the Rangers’ clubhouse. He’s far from the only player focused on the postseason push. But as one of the leaders of the team, he’s one of the individuals who has the ability to speak to it in front of his teammates.
At the end of the day, this is a team that is motivated to win the division and make the postseason.
“We got [Nimmo] to help us get to a playoff position,” manager Skip Schumaker said. “He's at the point of his career where he wants to do the celebrating with the team, and not just individual stuff. I think we have multiple guys like that. Joc Pederson sticks out as well. Evo [Nathan Eovaldi] sticks out. These guys, they want to play in October, and that's what they want to focus on.
“You've heard me say it a million times: We’re trying to figure out how to win today. That's literally what Brandon does every single day. The accolades are part of his really, really good career, but it's not what he's about. He's literally about, ‘What can I do to help the team win?’ -- which is amazing. People say it a lot of times, but he really does. He really does preach it, and he's about it.”