Renato Núñez


Renato Rafael Núñez is a Venezuelan professional baseball third baseman for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball. He previously played in MLB for the Oakland Athletics and the Texas Rangers.

Career

Oakland Athletics

Núñez signed with the Oakland Athletics as an international free agent at 16 in 2010. He made his professional debut that season for the Dominican Summer League Athletics. In 2011, Núñez played for the Arizona League Athletics, hitting.325/.403/.550 and four home runs over 42 games. He played for the Beloit Snappers in 2013. He hit.258/.301/.423 with 19 home runs in 128 games. Núñez played the 2014 season with the Stockton Ports. In July, he played in the All-Star Futures Game, where he singled. He finished the season hitting.279/.336/.517 with 29 home runs. After the season, the Athletics added Núñez to their 40-man roster. He played the 2015 season with the Double-A Midland RockHounds before participating in the Arizona Fall League. He played the entire 2016 minor league season with the Triple-A Nashville Sounds, and was called up to the Athletics on September 12. Núñez was assigned to Nashville for the 2017 season. He was selected to play in the 2017 Triple-A All-Star Game in which he hit a three-run home run to help the Pacific Coast League defeat the International League, earning him the MVP Award for the Pacific Coast League.

Texas Rangers

Núñez injured his left hamstring in the first week of spring training in 2018. He began the season on the disabled list and was sent to Nashville on rehabilitation assignment. Nearing the end of the assignment and out of options, Nunez was placed on waivers and subsequently claimed by the Texas Rangers on April 15. After appearing in 13 games and batting.167/.244/.278 with two RBIs in 36 at-bats, he was designated for assignment by the Rangers when Rougned Odor was activated from the disabled list on May 11.

Baltimore Orioles

Núñez was claimed off waivers by the Baltimore Orioles on May 13, 2018 and outrighted to the Triple-A Norfolk Tides two days later on May 15. His contract was selected two months later on July 20, and he made his Orioles debut as the starting third baseman in a ten-inning 8-7 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre that same night. His opportunity at becoming the regular third baseman was made possible by the fire sale trade of Manny Machado two days prior during the All-Star break. He played in 60 games and batted.275/.336/.445/.781 with thirteen doubles, seven homers and twenty runs batted in by the end of 2018.
He achieved his first-ever five-hit game in a 6-5 away defeat to the New York Yankees on August 14, 2019. The starting designated hitter in 109 games in 2019, he ranked second on the team with 31 home runs and 90 runs batted in and third in doubles with 24.