Gustavo Nunez

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Detroit Tigers #23 prospect in 2011
  Nunez's stock soared when he hit .315/.360/.425 in low Class A in 2009. His bat came back to earth last season, but his glove remained his calling card. Managers rated him the best defensive shortstop in the Florida State League in 2010. He has fluid actions, terrific footwork and one of the strongest arms in the system. He cam make routine and flashy plays alike, and can throw out runners from deep in the hole. Nunez has 65 speed on the 20-80 scouting scale, with his quickness giving him plus range at shortstop and also making him a basestealing threat. He was more efficient with his speed last year, improving his basestealing success rate to 80 percent, up from 66 percent in 2009. After his rough 2010 season at the plate, Nunez will have to prove he can hit enough to be a big league regular. He has a slender frame that lacks strength, so he utilizes a slap-and-slash approach. He has little power and is too impatient at the plate, striking out too much and rarely drawing walks. He'll need to repeat high Class A, which isn't a good sign for a 23-year-old.
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  Ranked Detroit Tigers #7 prospect in 2010
  After hitting .245/.304/.272 in high Class A in 2008, Nunez was much improved after taking a step back to West Michigan last season. He emerged as the system's best infield prospect, with the lone negative a July suspension for what the Tigers deemed "conduct detrimental to the organization." Nunez is a very good defender with smooth actions, fluid footwork and one of the best arms in the system. He has good bat control, grinds out at-bats and finds a way to get on base and score runs. His speed rates a 65 on the 20-80 scouting scale and he led Detroit farmhands with 48 steals last year. Despite the suspension, the Tigers regard him as a hard worker with great makeup. Nunez has a tendency to jump at the first pitch and get behind in the count. He's undersized and doesn't project to hit for much power. After getting caught stealing 25 times, he needs to work on getting better reads and jumps. At shortstop, he sometimes lets the ball play him instead of being more aggressive. One scout from outside the organization compared Nunez to Orlando Cabrera wit