Oakland Athletics Prospect Spotlight: Renato Nunez
By Casey Witt
Renato Nunez has an outstanding .278/.332/.480/.812 slash line at the plate in 2015 for the Oakland Athletics’ Double-A affiliate the Midland RockHounds. At the age of 21, Oakland’s No. 6 prospect is an individual to keep an eye on as he makes his journey to the show.
In November of 2010, the Oakland Athletics signed this top Venezuelan prospect Nunez to a $2.2 million contract at the age of 16. Scouts admired his ability to hit for both average and power. Rightfully so, he has been a key contributor for the Athletics’ Double-A affiliate, who are one win away in the Texas League Championship Series from being deemed back-to-back champions for the first time in the franchise’s 44 year existence.
How so you might ask? Well in the postseason for the ‘Hounds, Nunez has a batting average of .409 (9-22) with two home runs — one of them a grand slam — and 12 RBI in six games against the Corpus Christi Hooks (Houston Astros) and Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Kansas City).
If you think that’s impressive, take into account the 21-year-0ld’s statistics in his last 11 games of the regular season. From August 28 to September 7, Nunez was on fire. He posted a .354 batting average (17-48), along with 14 RBI and three moonshots. Two of them were grand slams in back-to-back games on September 5 and 6.
Athletics’ Director of Player Personnel Billy Owens praises Nunez’ progress in 2015; despite his two legs injuries, he had many positive things to say about the third baseman in an exclusive interview with Melissa Lockard, who is the editor-and-chief of scout.com.
"“But Renato can hit. He is only going to get better as a hitter. He is probably, in our system today, the player that has the best chance of hitting for high average while doing major damage at the plate.”"
Owens also mentions Nunez’ improvement at the hot-corner, specifically with his range and hand work. It is self-evident that Nunez’ offensive abilities clearly surpasses his development on the diamond. However, Oakland’s No. 6 prospect is making great strides to become an overall solid player.
Since being promoted from the Stockton Ports, the Athletics’ High-A affiliate, with 29 home runs in the California League, Nunez has constantly been cutting down on his strike outs and improving his contact rate at the dish. When he’s “on”, the 220-pound right-hander has the potential to hit to all fields and could become an immediate fixture in for the Athletics when the time is right.
When can we expect to see Nunez in the big leagues?
At this moment, Nunez is on the Athletics’ 40-man roster, and, if the RockHounds weren’t in contention, chances are he would have already been sporting the green and gold jersey. With expanded rosters in September, we’ve seen pitchers R.J. Alvarez, Daniel Coulombe, Ryan Dull, and Barry Zito on the big league roster along with outfielders Craig Gentry and Jason Pridie. Although we cannot forget young catcher Carson Blair who has also been added to the mix and returning candidate Max Muncy.
Hypothetically should the RockHounds win their next game, Nunez could be on his way to California. Needless to say, there is no need to rush the 21-year-old, who is still a work-in-progress. Realistically and with enough seasoning, fans could see the third baseman, as early as 2017, but maybe even earlier if he shows drastic improvement in his defensive skills.
Needless to say, the Athletics’ organization has a bright future ahead of them. With the likes of Nunez, south paw Sean Manaea, first baseman Matt Olson, and third baseman Matt Chapman waiting in the wings, it’s only a matter of time before Oakland tastes postseason baseball yet again.
Next: Oakland Athletics' Offense Will Be Key To Winning In 2016