WTM’S PIRATE PLAYER PROFILES

2007
DSL:  284/370/350, 243 AB, 10 2B, 3 3B, 32 BB, 45 K, 9-16 SB

Had a solid debut in the DSL.  Nunez played short there exclusively.

2008
R:  200/233/275, 40 AB, 3 2B, 2 BB, 6 K, 1-2 SB
A+:  245/304/272, 164 AB, 4 2B, 11 BB, 29 K, 1-4 SB

Nunez played only briefly in rookie ball and then moved up to high A, which is a large jump.  He didn’t hit much, with no power at all.  He played a little at second, but mostly at short, a pattern that continued in later years.

2009
R:  190/261/333, 21 AB, 1 HR, 1 BB, 5 K, 3-3 SB
A:  315/360/425, 464 AB, 16 2B, 10 3B, 5 HR, 25 BB, 62 K, 45-70 SB

The Tigers sent Nunez down to low A and he hit well, even showing some power.  He ran a lot, but not especially well.  He did have the suspension.

2010
A+:  222/263/281, 523 AB, 13 2B, 6 3B, 2 HR, 21 BB, 93 K, 33-41 SB

Nunez moved back up to high A and didn’t hit at all.

2011
A+:  304/368/431, 260 AB, 10 2B, 7 3B, 3 HR, 25 BB, 40 K, 14-24 SB
AA:  215/252/289, 121 AB, 3 2B, 2 HR, 5 BB, 27 K, 4-7 SB

Returning to the FSL for a third season, Nunez finally started to hit, but at 23 he was old for the level.  He struggled in a late-season stint in AA, until an early-August ankle injury ended his season.

2012
R:  400/500/1000, 5 AB, 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 BB, 1 K, 0-1 SB
A+:  294/333/353, 17 AB, 1 2B, 1 BB, 3 K
AA:  227/292/273, 22 AB, 1 2B, 2 BB, 4 K, 1-2 SB

Although Nunez was expected to be ready for spring training, he wasn’t and ended up having surgery on the ankle.  He didn’t surface until August, when he got into 14 games on rehab assignments at three different levels.  When Altoona finished its season, rather than calling him up the Pirates left Nunez on the 60-day disabled list, stating that his ankle still wasn’t healthy.

Nunez was a puzzling selection.  The Pirates seem obsessed with having an offensively inept glove-and-speed guy available at all times.  Nunez is very similar to Argenis Diaz and Pedro Ciriaco, neither of whom contributed anything of note (although Ciriaco made a big, most likely fluke showing with Boston in 2012).  If the Pirates keep him, the Rule 5 procedures will still apply in 2013, meaning that he’ll have to stay on the major league roster all season.  It’d make more sense for them to try to work out a deal with the Tigers, preferably one involving only cash, that would let them remove him from the 40-man roster and send him to the minors.  Alternatively, they could simply return him.  They should have better uses for the 40-man roster spot.