Nasim Nuñez facing the organization he dreamt of debuting with

[Kevin Barral]

Washington Nationals rookie Nasim Nuñez discusses life as a Rule 5 Draft pick and his excitement to play in Miami as a visitor.

MIAMI, FL—The call before the call-up came on December 6, 2023. Marlins prospect Nasim Nuñez learned that he had been selected by the Washington Nationals in the MLB Rule 5 Draft.

"I had faith in my ability that whatever happens is gonna be the best thing for me," Nasim Nuñez told Fish on First on Friday at loanDepot park. "The Nationals picked me up, so it was the best thing for me."

Having been in the Marlins organization since 2019, Nuñez admitted "it was weird coming through here" on the visitor's side. "I got drafted, I always dreamed of making the big league team with them, so it was definitely weird."

Making the jump from Double-A—where Nuñez spent the 2023 season—to the major league level isn't an easy thing to do. Most prospects stop at Triple-A before debuting, and even then, they may have to return to the minors to make more adjustments (top-ranked MLB prospect Jackson Holliday being the latest example of that). Nuñez is facing a unique challenge. Being selected in the major league portion of the Rule 5 Draft means his team cannot option him down at any point this season.

"At the end of the day, baseball is baseball," said Nuñez. "It's the same game. It's just more people, around new types of people. It's learning how to maneuver through everything else while not playing every day. I'm getting my work, learning and watching things very carefully."

Through the first 24 games of the season, the Nationals find themselves with a modest 10-14 record. Nuñez has rarely seen the field, only stepping into the batter's box twice and playing in a total of seven games (most recently on April 20). Compare that to last year when he played 125 minor league games and 20 more in the Arizona Fall League.

"I treat it as if I am a starter every day," said Nuñez. "I am doing the same thing I would do if I was playing in Double-A. It's the same thing."

Although the former top prospect isn't a Marlin anymore, he still keeps up with some players. "Those are friendships and relationships that you are going to have forever," said the 23-year-old.

Nuñez is motivated to go up against any opponent, so to kick off this four-game set against the organization that left him unprotected is just another day at the office for him. "You can say there's a chip, but I wanna beat every team just as bad as I wanna beat this one."

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