Colorado Rockies Top 25 Under 25: No. 22: Dom Nunez

Welcome to the BSN Denver Colorado Rockies Top 25 Under 25 where we will rank the organization’s best players who will be 25 years-old or younger on Opening Day 2017.

Our parameters for this list are may be different than others it resembles so let us be clear about them:

1. The list was created entirely by the BSN Rockies staff and had no other input from any outside sources.
2. While giving credit for overall (or trade) value, we prioritized an ability to help the MLB club win immediately.
3. In accordance with this, we also prioritized players with fewer question marks but potentially lower ceilings.
4. Statistics were considered on equal level with scouting reports in addition to our own field reporting.

Our observations come through a combination of spending parts of each of the past four (going on five) seasons on the ground on the backfields at spring training and through our regular reporting from Rookie Level Grand Junction, talking to coaches, scouts, and journalists both on and off the record. Of course, countless hours are spent on MiLB.tv and combing over public reports from other credible sources.

No. 22: Dom Nunez (C)

If evaluating prospects in general can be a bit of a crapshoot, evaluating catching prospects can be like throwing darts with a blindfold on. The up and down nature of Dom Nunez’ career — at least according to the statistics — doesn’t make things any easier.

The catcher turned middle-infielder turned catcher has had an unusual path so far. It is common to see Nunez referred to as a “converted catcher” though it’s a little misleading since he played behind the dish in high school and his move to shortstop and second base his first year as a pro was more about seeing how far his athleticism could extend. He feels most comfortable wearing the gear, as he reconfirmed to BSN Denver last March, and has been focusing a lot of time on his development there.

The progress reports on the defense are promising, with scouts praising his arm and of course his natural athleticism; he’s a catcher with 31 steals in his career, after all. Our own reporting includes coaches that sing about his instincts and game-calling abilities and pitchers who — to a man — say they love having him behind the plate as a trusted battery mate.

On the offensive side, Nunez has displayed both his incredible potential to be an impactful power bat and also a ton of volatility. Struggling mightily in his debut in Grand Junction, to the tune of a 54 wRC+, he bounced back in a repeat to post a 129 wRC+ the following season. Then he got out to a very slow start in Asheville before turning it on in a big way, finishing that year with a 135 wRC+ and 13 home runs, both career highs.

In 2016 at High-A Modesto, Nunez couldn’t keep the bat going against competition nearly two years older than him on average. Though, for the second year in a row, he improved in the second half (always a good sign for developing players) and also maintained his relatively high walk rate at over ten percent.

But Nunez is also one of the few players where the statistics really are secondary to his overall development, especially behind the plate. He has shown a tremendous pitch recognition ability along with all the other intangibles any team would want from an MLB catcher; smarts, awareness, ability to work with others, and a deep understanding of the game.

If not for the 2016 hiccup (85 wRC+) Nunez might rank much higher on this list. BSN Denver is still very bullish on his potential to turn into the incredibly rare “five tool” catcher. But his distance from the Bigs (which is fine for a player who just turned 22 nine days ago) keep him just outside of our Top 20. That’s as much a testament to the young talent the Rockies have than it is a knock on Nunez.

It’s the rarity of the combination of skills that Nunez brings that keeps him one of the most exciting players in the system. There might not be a single player in the organization who can positively affect the team as much if everything pans out. The sky really is the limit, the question will just be how close does Nunez ever come to soaring among the clouds.