Nunez’s path to the Orioles’ system has been anything but conventional. Drafted in the 29th round in 2019, he spent two seasons as an infielder in the Padres' system before being released. Utilizing an NCAA loophole, Nunez was granted eligibility to play at Division II University of Tampa despite his pro experience. He transitioned to the mound as a two-way player and emerged as a pitching prospect while helping the Spartans win a national title in 2024. He signed with the Mets as a free agent that summer, then was acquired by the Orioles in the Cedric Mullins deal at the 2025 Trade Deadline and reached Triple-A before the year was out.
The 24-year-old seems poised to impact a big league bullpen soon despite his limited experience on the mound. He’s a power reliever who can touch 96 mph with his four-seam fastball and generate grounders with his two-seam. He also possesses a deep mix of secondary weapons. His 85-87 mph sweeper and mid-80s changeup are the stars of the show -- the former ripping glove-side and down to generate some funky swings, while the latter is sold with good arm speed before it hits the brakes. He amassed 83 strikeouts in 56 2/3 innings last year thanks to those offerings and a low-90s cutter that’s also an above-average pitch.
Nunez’s walk rate ticked up at the upper levels last season, but he should have enough control to pitch in high-leverage situations as his athleticism helps him work within the zone. The Orioles are no strangers to producing unheralded leverage relievers, and with continued polish, Nunez has the ingredients to become the next. What was a major find for Mets scouting has turned into an intriguing upside play for the Orioles’ pitching development group.
Taken in the 29th round of the 2019 Draft as a 17-year-old out of a Miami-area high school, Nunez played two seasons as an infielder in the Padres pipeline, topping out with six games at Single-A in 2021 before being released. He utilized an NCAA eligibility rule that stated certain former Minor Leaguers could play college baseball, so long as it wasn’t at Division I or a junior college. Nunez joined Division II University of Tampa, transitioned to the mound as two-way guy in 2024 and helped the Spartans win a D-II national title that spring. The Mets signed him as a free agent last summer, and in his age-23 season, the right-hander had already climbed to Double-A when he was sent to the Orioles in the Cedric Mullins deal at the Trade Deadline.
Given his lack of experience on the mound, Nunez has been able to meld his position-player athleticism with a willingness to try new things with pro instruction. He’ll touch 96 mph with his pair of fastballs but has added a low-90s cutter that’s become a better weapon out of the pro bullpen, especially with how it plays compared to the wackier movement of his other offerings. His 85-87 mph sweeper and mid-80s changeup are the stars of the show -- the former ripping gloveside and down to generate some funky swings, while the latter is sold with good arm speed before it hits the brakes. Because of the pair, Nunez has dominated batters from both sides in the first three months of ’25.
The aforementioned athleticism helps Nunez work in the zone, but his walk rate has ticked up at Double-A. He’s likely to stick in the bullpen anyways and is already flying up the chain in that role. Nunez is looking like a major find by Mets scouting and an early win for the group’s pitching corps, though now it will be up to the Orioles to polish him up for the big leagues.
How this works:
This section shows two different ways to evaluate pitch movement.
On the left, “Total Movement” shows the real-world movement of a pitch, including the forces of gravity, which affects every pitch thrown.
Since gravity requires time, and slower pitches aren't 'better' just because they have more time to move, a pitch's movement is compared to other pitches of the same pitch type, within +/- 2 MPH and +/- 0.5 feet of extension/release.
On the right, Induced Movement (or IVB) is reported without gravity, and attempts to isolate movement created by the pitcher's ability to spin and manipulate the ball.
These run values are leveraged, meaning the base/out situation at the time of the event does impact the run value (thus introducing context outside the batter's own contribution).
! Note: Shifts are through the 2022 season, Shaded starting from the 2023 season, Shift:
three or more infielders are on the same side of second base, Shade: positioned outside of
their typical responsible slices of the field. Learn more about
how positioning is defined here