Blue Jays prospect Nimmala locked on the present

Arjun Nimmala has learned a lot this year. 

VANCOUVER – Arjun Nimmala has learned a lot this year.

As the No. 1 prospect for the Toronto Blue Jays, he’s been figuring out what it takes to be a professional athlete while playing shortstop for the team’s High-A affiliate, the Vancouver Canadians.

As a 19-year-old living more than 5,000 kilometres away from his parents’ home in Valrico, Fla., he’s been figuring out how to take care of himself.

“There was a little bit of an adjustment period, learning how to do things on my own,” Nimmala said with a smile.

Cooking was one hurdle the teen had to overcome. In recent months, he’s learned how to make a few staples, including fried rice.

A more intangible hurdle has been learning how to stay locked in on the day-to-day amid a whirlwind of speculation and excitement about his future. Staying focused isn’t easy, Nimmala said.

“It’s definitely hard. It’s definitely something that you have to consistently make an effort for,” he said. “You could definitely get lost in what people are saying, stats, all that stuff. And for an athlete, for a baseball player, those aren’t the best things to be looking at.

“The better I can stay focused on what I can do in the present, the better I’ll be on the field as well.”