Nehrir (pronounced NARE-ee-er) continued to cement his status as one of the American Association’s most well-rounded talents with a stellar 2019 season. Playing in 97 games as the Railroaders everyday centerfielder, Nehrir slashed .285/.364/.490 for a career-best .853 OPS. After hitting nine home runs combined in his first three seasons as a professional, Nehrir launched 12 round-trippers in 2019, adding four triples and a league-leading 34 doubles.
Nehrir put together a brilliant 2018 season with the Wichita Wingnuts in his first American Association campaign. The 27-year old notched career highs in every meaningful statistical category, posting a .312 batting average with 20 doubles, four triples, seven home runs, and 61 RBI. The speedy centerfielder also led the American Association with 38 steals in 42 attempts, setting a new Wichita franchise record in the process.
Prior to his independent league debut in 2018, Nehrir spent parts of three seasons in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization, most recently with Class-A Kane County. The right-handed hitting outfielder was a 2015 16th round pick by the Diamondbacks out of Houston Baptist University, where he hit .333 as a senior to earn All-Conference honors. Arizona assigned Nehrir to short-season Hillsboro for his professional debut, where he impressed immediately with a .297 average and 15 doubles over the course of 40 games. He was tabbed a Northwest League Mid-Season All-Star for his performance.
Nehrir was promoted to Kane County the following season, and once again got off to a blistering start, hitting .299 before a hand injury and mid-season swoon left his final average at .242 for the Cougars. Nehrir was still selected as a Midwest League All-Star, and received a call-up to High-A Visalia for 18 games midway through the 2016 season. The Diamondbacks released Nehrir 17 games into the 2017 campaign, split between Kane County and Visalia.
