Dom Nunez Stats & Scouting Report

AB	218
AVG	.202
OBP	.33
SLG	.339
HR	5

Full name Dominic Manuel Nuñez
Born 01/17/1995 in Elk Grove, CA
Profile Ht.: 5'8" / Wt.: 212 / Bats: L / Throws: R
School Elk Grove
Debut 08/13/2019
Drafted in the 6th round (169th overall) by the Colorado Rockies in 2013 (signed for $800,000).

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Nunez was mostly a shortstop in high school and while he showed good hands and an above-average arm for the position, he was a step slow. He moved behind the plate this year, playing the same position his father played at Sacramento CC under Jerry Weinstein, now a catching coach for the Rockies. Nunez doesn't have one tool that wows scouts, but can do a little bit of everything on the field and his intangibles help everything play up a little bit. Right now, Nunez's defense is ahead of his offense. Scouts like his compact lefthanded swing. His bat stays in the hitting zone for a long time and he uses the middle of the field well. He also shows good pitch recognition, but can come up out of his swing at times and needs to add strength to his wiry, 6-foot-1, 175-pound frame. Scouts have no doubt he'll be able to make those adjustments because he has strong makeup. Nunez has sneaky power and could hit 12-15 home runs in the big leagues. He also has an excellent baseball IQ and is a leader on the field. He is considered a tough sign away from UCLA.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Nunez played shortstop on an Elk Grove (Calif.) High team that featured future first-round picks Dylan Carlson (Cardinals) and Derek Hill (Tigers) as well as Astros third baseman J.D. Davis and Blue Jays prospect first baseman Rowdy Tellez. Nunez turned down a scholarship to UCLA after the Rockies selected him in the sixth round in 2013 and signed him for an over-slot $800,000 bonus. Nunez played shortstop in Rookie ball in 2013 but returned to Grand Junction in 2014 and began the conversion to catcher. He has adapted to catching quickly. He has soft hands, quick feet and controls the game well. While his work behind the plate has drawn positive reviews, Nunez is an especially poor hitter who struggles to make adjustments. Opponents feed him pitches on the outer half of the plate that he can't do anything with, and the result has been steadily worse offensive production every year. Nunez's average cratered with a .202 mark at Double-A Hartford in 2017. He needs to make significant offensive improvements to even be a backup, and a return to Double-A in 2018 will be telling.
A shortstop out of Elk Grove High, a Sacramento-area powerhouse, Nunez played with prospects J.D. Davis (Astros), Derek Hill (Tigers), Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays) and Dylan Carlson (Cardinals). Nunez played middle infield his first pro season, then tried catcher during instructional league and has been behind the plate ever since. The Rockies knew he had the soft hands to catch, but what got their attention was his feel for the game and the calmness he maintains. Nunez has plus arm strength, and while he is still working on the mechanics for accuracy, he threw out 43 percent of basestealers at high Class A Modesto in 2016 thanks to quicker footwork. His focus has been on defense, so his offensive numbers don't grab attention, but that's not a concern. He has a good feel for the strike zone and focuses on driving the ball to the middle of the field. Over time he will start turning on the ball and projects to have 15-home run potential. A lefthanded-hitting catcher, Nunez profiles well enough for the Rockies to remain patient that he can grow into a future regular. He is on track to move to Double-A Hartford in 2017.
The Rockies signed Nunez for an above-slot $800,000 in 2013, keeping him from UCLA. Primarily a middle infielder in high school and in his pro debut, Nunez moved behind the plate in 2013 instructional league and has been there ever since. After consecutive summers at Rookie-level Grand Junction, Nunez struggled early in 2015 at low Class A Asheville, batting .216 with no home runs in the first half. The second half was a different story because a motivated Nunez hit .335/.444/.607 with all 13 of his homers. Every aspect of his game improved, including his game-calling and leadership. Nunez has plus makeup and a high baseball IQ. Transitioning from shortstop, he has blossomed into an excellent receiver and blocker--the best in the organization. Though his arm strength is average, he more than makes up for it with quick hands and footwork. The lefthanded-hitting Nunez took advantage of a short right-field porch at Asheville and is more of a line-drive, gap-to-gap hitter who could develop average power as he gains strength. He has good feel for the strike zone and should make an impact offensively as well as defensively. Nunez will play at high Class A Modesto in 2016.
It took an above-slot bonus of $800,000 to keep Nunez from going to UCLA out of the 2013 draft. He played second base and shortstop in his pro debut but was considered a step slow, and the Rockies moved him behind the plate in instructional league that fall. Nunez returned to Rookie-level Grand Junction in 2014 and served as a team leader. He is an exceptional receiver whose footwork and exchange are quick, leading to pop times on throws to second base of about 1.9 seconds. He has more than enough arm strength but needs to improve his accuracy. His baseball IQ may be his greatest strength. Nunez is a line-drive, gap-to-gap hitter with pull power. His stroke can get a little long, resulting in a lot of balls in the air, though he did a much better job last season of staying in the middle of the field and swinging at strikes he could hit. He will make his full-season debut at low Class A Asheville in 2015.

Draft Prospects

Nunez was mostly a shortstop in high school and while he showed good hands and an above-average arm for the position, he was a step slow. He moved behind the plate this year, playing the same position his father played at Sacramento CC under Jerry Weinstein, now a catching coach for the Rockies. Nunez doesn't have one tool that wows scouts, but can do a little bit of everything on the field and his intangibles help everything play up a little bit. Right now, Nunez's defense is ahead of his offense. Scouts like his compact lefthanded swing. His bat stays in the hitting zone for a long time and he uses the middle of the field well. He also shows good pitch recognition, but can come up out of his swing at times and needs to add strength to his wiry, 6-foot-1, 175-pound frame. Scouts have no doubt he'll be able to make those adjustments because he has strong makeup. Nunez has sneaky power and could hit 12-15 home runs in the big leagues. He also has an excellent baseball IQ and is a leader on the field. He is considered a tough sign away from UCLA.

Minor League Top Prospects

After signing for $800,000 in 2013, Nunez had a rough pro debut, hitting just .200 and committing 16 errors while splitting time at second base and shortstop at Grand Junction. He shifted to catcher in instructional league and returned to the PL to find much more success in 2014. Nunez had a consistent year at the plate and showed promise behind it. His arm grades as plus, primarily because a quick release makes up for any missing arm strength, allowing him to cut down 36 percent of basestealers. While he still has a work to do to become a good defender, he picked up catching quickly and became a leader on the field. "He's run with catching," Grand Junction manager Anthony Sanders said. "It looks like he's been doing it for years. He's our leader back there behind the plate." Nunez has good intangibles, understands the game and has become fluent in "baseball Spanish" in order to better communicate with Latin American pitchers. At the plate, he changed his approach and became a more aggressive hitter with good pitch recognition and emerging power.