Former Padres’ infield prospect Anthony Nunez dominating as reliever
Credit: MiLB
Now a top pitching prospect for the New York Mets, Anthony Nunez started his professional career with the San Diego Padres in 2019 at the age of 17 as an infield prospect.
Most San Diego Padres fans will not remember the name Anthony Nunez.
The infielder was drafted in the 29th round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of a high school in Florida.
His progression in baseball at that time was hindered by the 2020 season, which COVID-19 impacted. In a vital year of growth, Nunez was left pondering the future of humanity like all of us. Baseball just wasn’t at the forefront. His growth and development in the game were stunted.
Nunez played in 64 games in total at the minor league level for the Padres (Most in the Arizona Complex League). He made it to the Low Single-A affiliate the Lake Elsinore Storm in 2021, where he played in six games and hit .105 in 19 at-bats. Nunez struggled with the bat and owned a career .676 OPS in 189 minor league at-bats.
At the age of 19, Nunez’s career was not going like he had planned.
On August 21, 2021, the Padres released the infielder. He was shaken. Professional baseball is all he had ever dreamt of doing. The baseball player decided to go back to school. At first, he thought his career was over. But then. “My mom remembered that someone who played with or against my brother had done it,” Nunez told MiLB.com in May. “We started looking into it, and there was a player in Division II who had recently done it. I reached out to Coach (Joe) Urso (at the University of Tampa) — I had played with his son — and he helped us get the information.”
In an obscure ruling, because Nunez had played so little at the professional level, he was granted NCAA eligibility at the Division II level. Thankfully, his career was not over, and the teenager was free to pursue his passion for the game. He was free to go to college. “It was exciting knowing I was going to play ball again, that my career wasn’t over. I was excited to go to college, get my education, and live a life I hadn’t experienced since I signed out of high school,” Nunez tells MiLB.
Tampa University became his destination as Nunez looked to improve his skill level on the baseball diamond. Anthony Nunez put up an .828 OPS in 136 career collegiate games and 492 at-bats. He slugged 17 homers and drove in 96 runs. He also walked (114) more times than he struck out as a college player (88). He is a decent hitter.
During the 2024 season, his last year in the system, Nunez took the mound for the first time. He wanted to pitch and proposed it to Coach Urso. The right-handed pitcher had not thrown a baseball off a mound since he was like 10 or 11 years old, but he wanted to give it a try. “It was something that I wanted to do because I knew I had a good arm,” Nunez recalls.
He posted a 3.09 ERA and a 1.114 WHIP in 11 games out of the bullpen.
Nunez saved two games for Tampa and struck out 20 men in 11.2 innings pitched. That caught the attention of scouts. “He is an unbelievable mover, and his arm works,” Brett Campbell, the Florida area scout who signed Nunez, told Baseball America about the first time he saw him pitch. Anthony Nunez came in as a right-handed hitting infielder and left as a pitching prospect signed by the New York Mets after the 2024 draft. Nunez went undrafted, but the Mets were enthralled by his upside on the mound.
Tampa University ultimately went on to win the D-II World Series, and Nunez was a valuable asset to the team. The Mets signed him in June, and it did not take long for the pitcher to showcase his skills on the mound. He went from an undrafted player who threw a total of 11 innings in college to one of the Mets’ best pitching prospects. And he’s done it in less than one season.
Anthony Nunez — who only became a pitcher last year — continues to be all but unhittable for the @BKCyclones.
12 1/3 IP
1 H
0 ER
20 K’s@Mets | @MetsPlayerDev pic.twitter.com/LDFgoTUP6s— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) May 3, 2025
In Double-A right now, Nunez owns a 1.88 ERA and a 0.875 WHIP in 19 games and 24 innings pitched.
The 23-year-old pitcher started the season in Single-A but was promoted after producing a 0.63 ERA in his first 10 games. Nunez has struck out 38 men this year and is flat-out dominating. He tops out at 96 mph with his fastball and throws a 90-mph cutter and a mid-80s slider. Nunez has yet to allow a homer as a professional pitcher in over 34 innings pitched. The 23-year-old is on the fast track to the majors.
Once a Padres infield prospect, this young player may one day be a high-leverage reliever in the big leagues.
James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. James has written about the Padres and their prospects for over a decade. He also writes about San Diego State as well as other local sports. James is the Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.