After the Nationals selected infielder Nasim Nunez with the fifth pick in the Rule 5 draft, general manager and president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo spoke to reporters about the challenges of retaining such a young player at shortstop. talked about. Roster him all season long as the club needs to retain him. As per rule 5 pick rules.
“Obviously, he’s not going to get a lot of at-bats at the major league level,” Rizzo explained. Time reps, I think there’s time – we can really work out some mechanical issues, he can really get into the weight room and improve his strength and flexibility. , and I think he gives [manager Davey Martinez] Off-the-bench options: Defensive replacement, elite defensive skills, base runner, base stealer, and player who can help win games at the major league level. ”
Nuñez ended up playing in a total of 51 games (‘Player with the 3rd most Rule 5 picks in WSH history (prior to 2005))”, according to the Nationals.”Only Jesus Flores (age 79 in 2007) and Toni Blanco (age 56 in 2005) follow.” He earned 78 at-bats (.246/.370/.262) and lived up to the scouting report Rizzo provided on defense when he selected the Miami Marlins last December.
“Great defense,” the GM said after the Rule 5 selection. “[Nuñez] He’s an elite-level shortstop, plays with his arm, defense, hands, can play anywhere in the middle of the field, and is a big-time base stealer. We think the bats have some advantage, the bats are far behind the defense, but the players who seem to have more bats are getting walks and are pretty selective with their at-bats. , that was what we were really trying to do was get as many dexterous players up the middle of the field as possible and thought this was a way to add some sort of elite type of dexterous players to the roster. . ”
“[Nuñez] According to Baseball Savant, the Nationals got an above-average three outs, averaged 91.6 mph, and were third-hardest in MLB SS (minimum 100 pitches) at the end of the 2024 season. As stated in the season review.
“He’s got a cannon,” Martinez said of Nunez’s arm in late September.
“He lets it go. We always tell our first basemen, ‘You better be ready, it’s almost here.’ But he plays the infield really well. ”
Throughout the season, the Nats’ captain grew to trust Nunez’s defense.
“When the ball hit him, I had a great feeling it was going to be out. He plays really well there. He moves well, processes everything cleanly and makes plays,” Martinez said.
Obviously he should have gotten more at-bats in the minors, but the Rule 5 draft rules required him to remain in the majors (or return to his former team), and in the end Nunez gained valuable experience. Coach Martinez said. He learned throughout the season with the major league club and the club’s trainers and coaches, stepping in when Martinez found his spot. What do managers think is the biggest benefit?
“For me, it’s an experience,” Martinez said in early September. “The fact that he’s starting to learn a lot here about what he has to do to play here. Whether he’s playing every day, whether he’s just a superhero.[utility] Man, he understands a lot just by watching the game. He’s there, watching the game, sitting on the stairs, really focusing on the game. And every time we visit him, he does a good job. ”
“We all [knew] “He was a really good infielder,” the coach continued. “He can catch the ball, he’s got a great arm. We talked a lot about his approach hitting and just not getting too big and doing too much. He’s done a much better job with that. He’s putting the ball in play. And he’s starting to understand that bunts are a big part of this game. It’s on.
Photo by Jess Rapfogel/Getty Images
“I’m really excited to get a chance to play against him because I know he’s going to be at shortstop catching the ball and trying to do little things to help us win. Because it is.”
Martinez said he saw tremendous growth as an infielder throughout the season.
“At the beginning of the year, he was really — everything — in the clouds.”[s]that’s right,” the captain explained.
“For the first time in the major leagues, he’s starting to understand how important it is to really pay attention to detail and what he has to go through every day. He has an incredible routine.
“He comes in every day, he trains, he takes ground balls every day. He’s starting to figure himself out as a hitter. So now I tell him, ‘Once he gets a chance to play, You’ll see a big difference with all the hard work you’ve put in.”
And those arms are something too.
“When he throws the ball across the diamond, it’s something else,” Martinez said.
