Renato Nunez

Following a strong finish to the 2018 season, Nunez broke camp as Baltimore's primary DH in 2019 and appeared in a career-high 151 games. While his average (.244) and OBP (.311) took expected steps back -- where they seem likely to remain moving forward given his poor approach at the plate (7.3 BB%, 23.9 K%) -- Nunez showcased his impressive, though often streaky, power, belting 31 home runs (second most on the team) and posting a career-best .216 ISO. He typically hit cleanup, which resulted in Nunez finishing second on the team in RBI (90) and third in runs (72). While Nunez fared better against lefties (.836 OPS vs. LHP, .733 OPS vs. RHP), he still managed to rack up 18 homers against right-handers. He's a poor defender at first and third base, but there's nobody on this team really deserving of DH at-bats over Nunez. He figures to see plenty of time in the heart of the order for the rebuilding Orioles.

A hamstring injury cost Nunez his chance to make the Athletics' Opening Day roster, and the team flipped him to the Rangers in mid-April. He hit just .167 in 13 games for Texas before being DFA'd and claimed by the Orioles in mid-May. He wasn't called up to the big leagues in Baltimore until mid-July, but then quietly put up a decent season, hitting .275/.336/.445 in 60 games, including an .891 OPS in 25 games in September. Nunez's prospect reports suggested he was destined for a bench or platoon role as he's limited to the corners defensively and doesn't have standout power or contact ability. That could still be his long-term future, but he should be given plenty of playing time on a rebuilding Orioles team. A repeat of last year's numbers over a full season would give Nunez some modest deep-league value, though his expected batting average according to Statcast was just .219, suggesting regression may be in order.

Nunez has received 31 MLB plate appearances over two seasons, and 23 of those have come against lefties. Suffice it to say, if he is going to make it in Oakland, it will be on the short side of a platoon. To make matters worse, 26 of those plate appearances have come either as a designated hitter or pinch hitter. He doesn't fit into their immediate plans in left field or at third base, although he could masquerade at either position in a pinch. Nunez hit .283/.380/.587 with seven home runs in 92 at-bats against southpaws at Triple-A last year, so he is worth deploying as a cheap option in daily leagues when he gets a start against a lefty, but there likely won't be any other way to extract value from the limited slugger in 2018. He turns 24 in April and is out of minor-league options, so he will likely break camp on the big-league roster.

It would be pretty easy to view Nunez's 2016 as a failure, or at least a step backward. After all, he posted a 78 wRC+ with Triple-A Nashville and then hit .133 with zero walks or extra-base hits in 15 big league plate appearances at the end of the season. He was quite poor when playing in Nashville, one of the most pitcher-friendly parks in the Pacific Coast League, but he hit 15 home runs with a .727 OPS on the road. Nunez, who turns 23 in April, is 13 months younger than his more highly-touted organization mate, Matt Chapman, who has played just 18 games at Triple-A. If Nunez had spent most of his season in the Texas League, as Chapman did, his prospect stock would be sizzling. Both prospects are flawed power hitters -- Nunez just happens to be closer to contributing in the majors. The most likely outcome is that he either occupies the short side of a DH platoon, as he has mashed lefties for most of his career, or he simply serves as a right-handed power bat off the bench.

Nunez did not quite match his breakout 2014 (29 homers), but still showed a lot of the raw power the A's are excited about. Nunez started slowly in May with a .214 average and only eight RBI, but he righted the ship quickly with 15 homers and 35 RBI combined in June and July. A hamstring injury in August limited his counting stats, but his .812 OPS answered any questions about whether the jump to Double-A would cause him significant issues. Nunez also made an early splash in October in the Arizona Fall League with a three-homer game in the first week of play. There are questions about where Nunez will end up defensively, as he is below average at the hot corner, though he does have a strong arm. Nunez is one of the top offensive prospects in the A's system and even though he will be just 22 in April, he could find his way to Oakland in the second half if he continues his mashing ways.

Nunez, still just 20 years old during the 2014 season, continued his impressive power display in the minors, this time hitting 29 home runs and driving in 96 runs over 124 games for High-A Stockton, including a crazy stretch of 20 homers over 64 games after the All-Star break. Over the same number of at-bats from 2013, he also cut 23 strikeouts off his total, a good sign that he is improving his contact skills. With the trade of Addison Russell, Nunez should rank very high on A's prospect lists coming into 2015. He was added to the 40-man roster in November to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft and will likely start the year in Double-A with a chance to advance to Triple-A during the season. If he continues to mash following the promotion, Nunez should be on track to arrive in the big leagues in 2016.

The A's signed Nunez as a 16-year-old out of the Dominican Republic in 2010. Nunez hit .259 in Low-A with Beloit in 2013, but did hit 19 home runs and drove in 85 runs, an impressive season for a 19-year-old and in the pitcher-friendly parks of the Midwest League. By all accounts, his speed will never be an asset and his defense needs work, but most scouts agree that the power is legit. In order to move through the system quickly, Nunez will need to do something to rectify his issues making contact, as he whiffed 136 times in 2013 in 508 at-bats.