Asked this week about coaching success stories, David Stearns did not turn to the second life of Luis Severino or the work that has been done in coaxing a breakout season from Mark Vientos.
The first thought that came to Stearns’ mind: Antoan Richardson unlocking Brandon Nimmo on the basepaths.
Nimmo has stolen 12 bases this season, which is how many he had stolen in his past four seasons combined.
The outfielder always had the speed but was careful on the bases, both because of several injuries early in his career and because he was not overly successful when trying — caught stealing six times in 15 tries in 2018.
When the Mets hired Richardson as first-base coach and ostensible base-running coach in November, he got on the phone with Nimmo to introduce himself and learn how he could help.
“We talked about wanting to be smart. He talked about wanting to be prepared,” Richardson, in his first season with the Mets after four with the Giants, said this week. “So what I’ve tried to do is just give him as much information as possible because I know that’s something that he gravitates toward.”
Nimmo wants information about the opposing pitchers — about counts when a breaking ball (which is easier to run on) is more likely to be thrown, about how quickly the pitcher will deliver the ball, about tells from a pitcher who might be “doing something weird” on the mound, Richardson said, that might reveal the best time for a steal.
“I think with that [information], he’s felt confident to go,” Richardson said. “I don’t know if that’s been the secret to success. But we definitely just make sure we come up with a plan every day for how we want to attack any given pitcher.”
Several times this season, Nimmo has shouted out Richardson’s preparation and knowledge in prompting him to run more. Richardson, in turn, credited Nimmo for being “diligent” and asking for every detail.
Also at play have been fresher legs, with Nimmo moving over to left field more often after predominantly playing center the past few years.
Nimmo might be the best success story, but the Mets — not a particularly speedy team — entered MLB action Thursday with the seventh-best stolen base success rate (83 percent) in baseball.
“I think it’s important that we run at a high clip — I do wish that it was a higher clip,” Richardson said. “I am happy that we have had what some would say is success.
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“I think what I’m more excited about is that our players are excited about the opportunity to run when they get over there. They feel prepared to go, and I think they trust the systems that we’re kind of putting in place for them to have success.”
J.D. Martinez, who missed three games while on the paternity list, was reinstated. DJ Stewart was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse to create roster space.
The Mets also claimed outfielder Jose Azocar, who had been designated for assignment by the Padres, and optioned the 28-year-old to Syracuse.
To create 40-man roster space, Sean Reid-Foley was moved to the 60-day injured list.
