MWL1 Beloit Sky Carp

Player Profile: Snappers 3B Renato Nunez

Published on May 21, 2013 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Beloit Sky Carp News Release


BELOIT, WI - Most 19-year-olds are still trying to figure out what they're going to do with their lives. They are in college working towards a major or starting their first job or doing any number of other things. Renato Nunez is 19-years-old and is three years into his chosen vocation: being the third baseman of the future in the Oakland Athletics organization.

Renato Nunez signed with the Oakland Athletics on July 2nd, 2010 and was given a $2,200,000 bonus. "That was a nice day," said Nunez. "I was happy to be able to sign with a big league team and to be able to play for the Athletics. There were a lot of other teams that tried to sign me, but I liked the scouts that I met from Oakland." For the Athletics, everything they saw told them this signing was a no-brainer. "I saw him hit when he was 17-years-old in the instructional league," said Snappers hitting coach Casey Myers. "You could tell he had excellent bat speed and the ball made loud sounds coming off his bat."

Nunez's first stop was the Dominican Summer League in 2011, which presented a new challenge for the young infielder. "That was my first time leaving home for such a long period of time," he said. Renato had a solid season in the DSL, batting .268 with 12 doubles, five homers and driving in 28. "For the first couple months," he said, "it was hard for me. I was wishing that my family could be there. At the same time, I was playing baseball and that's what I always wanted to do." Nunez would soon be playing ball in a new place: The United States.

After his first season of pro ball, the Athletics moved Nunez stateside to the Arizona League. He was ready for this test. "I was excited," he said, "because here, in the United States, is where the best baseball is played. I was happy because I wanted to show what I could do against the best." It was in the AZL that Nunez's star took off. He posted a .325 average, a .550 slugging percentage and a .953 OPS. He led the team with 18 2Bs and 42 RBIs. During one stretch, he went 11-for-19 with 2 2Bs, 1 3B and 2 HRs, while driving in nine. Despite putting up such great numbers, Nunez remained modest and focused on winning. "Last season was a lot of fun," he said, "because we made the playoffs and we had a great season in Arizona." Casey Myers summed up Nunez's year a little better: "He had a banner year."

Even having had such great success, Nunez was far from complacent and used the offseason to focus on continuing to improve. "I worked a lot during the offseason. I was constantly in the gym, lifting. I worked on my legs a lot and tried to get faster than I was last year and I refocused for this season." When Renato showed up in March to get ready for his third year, it was quickly obvious to his new hitting coach how much he'd improved. "He's just a more polished hitter," said Myers. "He's done a much better job. Before, he'd always had power, but he was kind of a free swinger. Now he's got a little more of an approach [at the plate]."

Nunez came into spring camp with a goal of playing in full season ball in 2013 and not having to spend another year in short-season. After a solid spring, he was able to accomplish that and was assigned to Beloit. "I worked for that in the offseason," he said. "That's what I was thinking about. I wanted to play full-season ball. I didn't want to stay in Arizona. I worked for that and thank God I'm here."

When Nunez arrived in Beloit, he was prepared for the challenges the season would present but was more than a little unprepared for the climate. "That," he said, "was really cold. That was my first time dealing with that kind of cold. I was happy to be here, but to play baseball in that, sometimes it was hard."

Nunez started slowly while adjusting to the weather, but soon found his groove. He smashed his first homer of the year against Peoria on April 9th and that jump-started a 12-game hit streak during which he batted .383 with 11 RBIs. Since that first homer, Nunez has continued to solidify his status as the Snappers most consistent power threat. As of May 20th, he led the team with nine bombs, which was also good for third in the Midwest League. "He's been able to carry the success he had last season," said Myers, "into a level where, as a 19-year-old kid, [it's impressive to] put up the kind of numbers he's put up." Even so with his success, he remains focused on one thing. "It's been fun because we've been winning," he said. "That's what we are here for, to win games." If he keeps playing like this, he and the Snappers won't stop winning any time soon.

Renato Nunez might be just a teenager, but he's already off to a great start in his professional career. He's conquered two levels of pro ball and skipped a third all together. He's been able to adjust to whatever's been thrown his way, from leaving home, to learning a new language to freezing cold weather. All that practice dealing with adversity will be more than beneficial for him as he moves up the ladder. "Coming from a league [AZL] where you play four days and then have a day off and you're playing fifty games," said Myers, "it's tougher for guys [new to this league] with the travel and things like that. It's more about him establishing a routine and getting used to the everyday grind of minor league baseball. So far this season, he's done well."

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