Position: C
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 212 lbs
Bats/Throws: L/R
Born: 01/17/1995
High School: Elk Grove (CA) HS
Drafted: 6th Round, 169th overall pick, 2013 (Rockies)
How Acquired: Minor League Free Agent
Bonus: $800,000
40-man Roster: No
Rule 5 Eligible: Yes
Minor League Free Agency: 2023
Options Left: 1
Overview
Drafted out of prep school as a shortstop, Nunez signed with the Rockies for an above-slot bonus and then converted to catcher in his second pro season. He’s considered a good receiver and has generally had average or above CS rates. He has modest power and usually posts good walk rates, but also strikes out a lot. He got into 111 major league games from 2019 to 2022. He hasn’t hit much in the majors, although he’s continued to draw a lot of walks.
2013-18
Nunez hit very well in the low minors in 2014-15, but once he got to High A in 2016, he started struggling. He made it to AA anyway, but hit very little over two years there, in 2017-18. Baseball America ranked him among the Rockies’ top 30 prospects for four years, with a high of 12th in 2017.
2019-23
Nunez had a big year in AAA in 2019, posting a .921 OPS, but it was at Albuquerque in the Pacific Coast League. The Rockies called him up in August and he got into 18 games. He struggled to make contact, then spent 2020 at the team’s alternate site. He stayed with Colorado all of 2021, then only briefly in 2022. The Rockies lost him on waivers after the season and he ultimately signed a minor league deal with the Cubs. Nunez stayed in AAA with the Cubs until August, not doing much at the plate beyond drawing walks. The Pirates signed him to a minor league deal after the Cubs released him in early August. He got into 18 games with Indianapolis and hit just .119.
Stats
Transactions
June 7, 2013: Drafted in the 6th round, 169th overall pick by the Colorado Rockies; signed on June 19.
August 13, 2019: Contract purchased by the Colorado Rockies.
November 9, 2022: Claimed off waivers from the Colorado Rockies by the San Francisco Giants.
November 15, 2022: Designated for assignment by the San Francisco Giants; became a free agent on November 18.
January 5, 2023: Signed as a minor league free agent by the Chicago Cubs.
August 6, 2023: Released by the Chicago Cubs.
August 8, 2023: Signed as a minor league free agent by the Pittsburgh Pirate