Black MLB Players #18: INF Nasim Nuñez, Washington Nationals

Nasim Nuñez is a switch-hitting infielder who would've thrived in past eras of professional baseball because of his strike zone awareness, top tier defensive ability, and elite base stealing skills.

Introduction + Path to Professional Baseball

Nasim Nuñez is a 23-year-old utility player for the Washington Nationals from Lawrenceville, Georgia. He was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the Marlins organization out of Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, Georgia. He forewent his commitment to Clemson University after being one of the highest-ranked high school shortstops in the country and accepted a signing bonus north of $2 million to begin his professional career with Miami.

His professional career started during the 2019 MiLB season, going .200/.327/.238 across 51 games in the Gulf Coast League and New York-Penn League. He stole 28 bases and put his advanced on-base skills on display by drawing 35 walks to pair with 48 strikeouts. During the 2021 MiLB season, Nuñez only played in 52 games with Miami’s Low-A affiliate because of an injury that caused him to miss over a month. He went .243/.366/.265 across 228 plate appearances, good for an 89 wRC+ in the Low-A Southeast League.

For the 2022 MiLB season, Nuñez played in 85 games with Miami’s High-A affiliate before a late-season promotion to Double-A where he appeared in 35 games. He went .251/.384/.317 in 123 total games, accumulating 17 doubles and 70 stolen bases. He played in 125 games at Double-A during the 2023 MiLB season, logging a .224/.341/.286 slash line. He posted 11 doubles, two triples, five home runs, and 52 stolen bases in 585 plate appearances. He posted a 0.81 BB/K ratio on 87 walks and 107 strikeouts.

Player Profile

Nasim Nuñez is a slightly undersized shortstop, standing just above 5’9’’ and weighing 170 - 180 pounds. He has a very slim yet chiseled build. He is physically maxed out but still has athleticism and mobility. He is built like an undersized NFL cornerback and is just as athletic as one.

Physical comparisons: Jimmy Rollins, Maury Wills, Jimmy Wynn, Ozzie Smith Jr.

Hitting

Nuñez is a switch-hitting shortstop with an all-fields approach who has an affinity for drawing walks. Both of his swings are simple and quiet, starting from a similar setup where he holds his hands chin high. He uses a very slight leg lift before stepping through, staying balanced as he begins to rotate. Singles and walks are his main two methods for getting on base. He is better as a left-handed hitter than he is as a right-handed hitter.

His on-base percentage is higher than his slugging percentage at almost every level that he has spent time at. He has posted a BB/K ratio at or above 0.67 to go with a walk rate of at least 14% at every full-season level where he has logged plate appearances. Despite his elite on-base skills and a decent ability to make contact, Nuñez has trouble hitting for average. He has never posted a batting average higher than .261, even while regularly posting BABIPs over the .300 mark.

His slight build, patient approach, and flat swing path are the reasons for his lack of power production. His ability to make contact is slightly above average based on his 9.1% swinging strike percentage at Double-A during the 2023 MiLB season. A caveat to this is that Double-A pitchers have taken advantage of his borderline passive approach and lack of power to strike him out looking or force him to put a weak ball into play.

Fielding

Nuñez is one of the best defensive shortstops in all of Minor League Baseball if not the best of them all. He has elite hands and elite range to go with a plus arm. His footwork and ability to bend to scoop balls put in play are superlative. He possesses top-tier instincts and a high baseball IQ. His creativity and touch show whenever the opportunity to start, turn, or finish a double play arises.

Baserunning

Nuñez is an elite base stealer and a top-of-the-scale athlete. In the last two seasons, he has stolen 122 bases while only getting caught 23 times, which grades out to an 84% stolen base percentage. His 84 runs scored on a .341 on-base percentage during the 2023 MiLB season is a testament to his ability to set and find a way across home plate. His plus-to-plus-plus speed allows him to navigate from first to third, second to home, first to home, etc. with ease.

Conclusion

Nasim Nuñez is a shortstop who would’ve thrived in the Negro Leagues or the first two decades of MLB’s Integration Era. His combination of on-base skills, elite speed, and defensive prowess makes his overall profile eerily reminiscent of infielders such as Jim Gilliam or Maury Wills. I think his ceiling is that of a top-tier defensive shortstop with respectable on-base percentages, elite stolen base numbers, and at the top of the leaderboards in runs scored. I think his floor is the role of a top-tier utility infielder for a playoff team. I believe his unique combination of tools and skills would make him one of the best bench players in MLB at the very least.