ARLINGTON, Texas – There are not many Sunday afternoons when Wyoming feels like the center of the baseball universe.
Being down here in the big, air-conditioned comfort of the Texas Rangers’ ballpark on Sunday, it sure did.
I am writing after attending a big-league baseball game in Arlington, between Dallas and Fort Worth.
This was Brandon Nimmo Day.
And if you are from Cheyenne, or anywhere in Wyoming for that matter, you would have been proud. It was fun wearing my gold Wyoming Cowboy hat to help celebrate our home-grown hero.
The Rangers celebrated their right fielder with a full-blown promotion with bobblehead dolls, a pregame ceremony, and a nod to a past that feels about as Wyoming as it gets.
The bobbleheads showed Nimmo not just as a ballplayer, but as a bull rider. That’s right. Before he was chasing down fly balls in right field, Nimmo perhaps dreamed of riding bulls.
That little detail tells you just about everything you need to know about the kid.
First, Bull Riding
He grew up in Cheyenne, where rodeo isn’t a hobby, it’s a way of life.
Like a lot of Wyoming boys, Nimmo probably spent his early years thinking about chutes and corrals, dreaming maybe someday he would also make his name at Cheyenne Frontier Days instead of a Major League ballpark.
He has said in prior interviews that his dream as a kid was to be a professional bull rider.
But along the way, baseball won out — and thank goodness for that, especially if you were in the stands here on Sunday.
The Rangers even had a rodeo clown walking around the stadium celebrating Brandon, rodeo, and Wyoming.
The Rangers honored Nimmo in a way that had to tug at his heart.
They brought his 90-year-old grandfather, Darrel Nimmo, out to throw the ceremonial first pitch. It was a moment that felt genuine and grounded, the kind of thing that cuts through all the noise of modern sports.
You could almost see the story in that one toss, from a Wyoming upbringing to the big leagues in Texas.
Nimmo has become, quietly but surely, Wyoming’s most prominent current Major League Baseball player.
That’s no small thing for a state that doesn’t exactly churn out big leaguers.
When one of ours makes it, we tend to follow closely. And when one of ours thrives, we take a little ownership in that success.
Winning Play
On this day, Nimmo gave folks plenty to cheer about.
Batting in the lineup and patrolling right field, he looked right at home.
He smacked a double, the kind of clean, confident swing that shows why the Rangers believe in him.
Out in the field, he made a couple of outstanding defensive plays, tracking balls, covering ground, doing the little things that don’t always make highlights but win ballgames.
And win they did.
The Rangers rolled to a 10-0 victory over Cleveland, and while it was a total team effort, Nimmo was right in the middle of it.
It is not hard to see why the Rangers have embraced him. He plays the game the right way, no flash for the sake of flash. Just solid, dependable baseball.
There is a workmanlike quality to him that feels very Wyoming.
Brandon Nimmo walks off the pitcher's mound with his 90-year old grandpa Darrel Nimmo after Darrel threw out the first pitch. (Bill Sniffin for Cowboy State Daily) 
The Texas Rangers had a rodeo clown named Alex roaming the Dallas field in celebration of Brandon Nimmo’s rodeo connections in his home town of Cheyenne. (Bill Sniffin for Cowboy State Daily) 
Writer Bill Sniffin enjoying the game with 34,000 other folks on Sunday afternoon, wearing his Wyoming Cowboys baseball hat. (Bill Sniffin for Cowboy State Daily)
He Earned It
You get the sense he would be just as comfortable fixing fence or loading hay as he is standing in the batter’s box in front of 34,851 people.
That background matters.
Nimmo’s journey was not the fast track. Although by Wyoming standards he was a standout, he was not a can’t-miss, five-star phenom who had the baseball world at his feet from Day One.
He had to earn it.
From East High School in Cheyenne, then grinding his way through the minor leagues, he built his career the hard way.
At 18, he was drafted 13th overall by the New York Mets in 2011, which was highest in Cowboy State history. Now 33, he was called up to the big in 2016 and played 10 years with the Mets before joining the Rangers this season.
His parents, Ron and Patti Nimmo of Cheyenne, always believed in Brandon.
They even built a heated and insulated indoor batting cage in their barn for him to practice hitting during those long Wyoming winters.
Those who watched him early remember a kid who competed in everything he did. Baseball or whatever was in front of him, he was all in. That kind of mindset doesn’t go away. It just gets refined.
Now here he is, wearing a Rangers uniform and getting his own bobblehead night.
The scene at the ballpark had a little bit of everything.
It was festive and loud, with kids clutching their Nimmo bobbleheads like treasures. The food was good, the crowd was lively, and there was that sense you get on a perfect baseball day when everything just clicks.
Not everything, of course.
Rangers Crowd Was Excited
At one point, a foul ball found its way into the stands a few rows below us and struck a young fan.
It looked serious, maybe even a broken arm, as attendants quickly moved in and escorted the child out. It was a sobering reminder that even on a day of celebration, the game can turn in an instant.
But the crowd recovered and the energy returned. This day still belonged to Nimmo.
For fans back in Wyoming, this is the kind of story you hold onto. A kid from Cheyenne who once may have dreamed of riding bulls now making a name for himself in Major League Baseball.
His bobblehead doll bridged two worlds: rodeo and baseball, small-town roots and big-league lights.
And he hasn’t forgotten where he came from.
That might be the most important part.
In an era where athletes can sometimes feel distant, Nimmo still carries Wyoming with him. You can see it in the way he plays, in the way he handles himself, and in moments like today when his family is front and center.
Grandpa Threw Out First Pitch
His grandpa throwing out that first pitch wasn’t just a ceremonial act. It was a symbol of family, of roots, and of the long road from Cheyenne to Arlington.
If you were sitting here on this night, you would have felt it. And if you are reading this back home in Wyoming, you should feel it too.
Because Brandon Nimmo isn’t just playing for the Texas Rangers, he’s playing for all of Wyoming.
Bill Sniffin can be reached at: Bill@CowboyStateDaily.com
