ATLANTA – When the Nationals made Nasim Nuñez the No. 5 overall selection in the 2023 Rule 5 Draft, they knew what they were getting. The infielder was the best defensive prospect in the Marlins system with very little offensive upside. Any production they got from the switch-hitter at the plate would be a bonus.
Nuñez spent all of last season with the Nationals at the major league level as part of his Rule 5 status. He appeared in 51 games, mostly as a defensive replacement or pinch-runner, and made only 78 plate appearances. He collected one RBI on 15 hits, with only one going for extra bases.
This year, Nuñez was able to be optioned down to the minors. He appeared in 23 major league games between April and June, this time collecting five RBIs on eight hits, two for extra bases.
But when Nuñez came back up to the majors at the beginning of the month when rosters expanded to 28 players, no one expected to see this power surge the 25 year old has put on over his last 12 games.
He hit his first two major league home runs in his first game back on Sept. 3 against his former team. He hit what would end up being the game-winning home run Sunday against the Mets, a two-run shot in the third inning, in the city where he was born. And then he led off last night’s series opener against the Braves in what he considers his actual hometown by hitting a first-pitch homer off the reigning Cy Young Award winner.
“It was honestly cool because my friends and family were here,” Nuñez said of his home run off Chris Sale last night after an 11-5 loss. “And I hit one (Sunday), so everybody was like, 'Well, hey, you can hit one in New York. You gotta hit one in Atlanta.' They're talking about that's your hometown, but this is really my hometown. So it was cool.”
Nuñez, who was born in the Bronx, N.Y., but graduated from Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, Ga., now has four home runs over his last 12 games. That’s one more than the three James Wood has hit in his last 60 games dating back to before the All-Star break.
Is this sudden burst of power by this 5-foot-8, 165-pound infielder a surprise?
“A little surprised,” interim manager Miguel Cairo said with a laugh. “But he's playing at home right now. So I'm glad that he's doing good. I'm glad that he's helping with the offense. Everyone is contributing. They're taking advantage of the opportunity. He's showing that he can get good at-bats in the big leagues and can play defense too.”
Nuñez now has a .700 slugging percentage and 1.033 OPS in 33 plate appearances over 12 September games in the big leagues. He had a .290 slugging percentage and .645 OPS in 1,820 plate appearances across five minor league seasons.
“Honestly, just reps and just playing baseball and learning myself and my body,” he said. “I feel like I had to learn how to become a hitter. And then once you become a hitter, anything's up.
“Honestly, ever since I got drafted, because in high school, I didn't really care. Like I cared about hitting, but not as much as defense. So I tried to figure out why I was so good at defense, and just switched it. My mindset, everything I did when I was a kid, and made it hitting. So honestly, ever since I got drafted, it's been a steady, crazy, long, hard process.”
Nuñez has been in the Nats’ starting lineup for four straight games. And it’s hard to imagine Cairo taking him out now.
“Oh my gosh, he's a spark. He's a spark in the lineup,” Cairo said. “He's doing good right now. He's getting good at-bats. He's having fun with the opportunity. It's nice to see him getting good at-bats.”
Nuñez was definitely having fun with his homer last night while friends and family watched from the stands. Well, those who made it to their seats in time, that is.
“Everybody's just excited,” he said. “And it's honestly a little shocking because I've never hit this many homers. And two of them, the ones who told me to hit it, they weren't even here, they were still in the car.”
It all happened so fast, Nuñez didn’t even know what to do to celebrate giving the Nats an early lead.
“Honestly, I was just trying to find the bullpen because they've been giving it to me, and I'm still getting used to it,” he said. “I didn't see anybody, but I knew where they were and I pointed in that direction. Just don't tell them.”
“He's been grinding,” Cairo said. “Like I said before, he's been grinding a lot of at-bats. Trying to find his route. And he's doing it. He's gonna be fine. He's gonna be fine. And he's gonna help us big time next year.”