Nasim Nuñez named first Futures Game MVP in Marlins history

Nuñez made the most of his limited time on the field by driving in three runs, stealing a base and completing the game-sealing double play.

Infielder Nasim Nuñez and left-hander Patrick Monteverde represented the Miami Marlins proudly during Saturday's All-Star Futures Game at T-Mobile Park, with the former becoming the first Marlin in the event's history to earn MVP honors (the Larry Doby Award).

Ranked ninth on the Fish on the Farm Marlins top prospects list, Nuñez came off the bench for the National League in the bottom of the fifth inning and played second base the rest of the way. His lone plate appearance came in the sixth. With the bases loaded and one out, he padded the NL's 2-0 lead by lining a 97 mile-per-hour sinker to left field and clearing the bases.

Two pitches later, Nuñez stole third base without a throw. No surprise there—the Pensacola Blue Wahoo leads all Marlins minor leaguers with 33 steals this season and has only been caught thrice.

FOTF's 13th-ranked prospect, Monteverde took the mound with one out in the seventh and final inning. After allowing a single to Drew Gilbert, he secured the shutout victory by getting Edgar Quero to ground into a 6-4-3 double play. Fittingly, Nuñez was right in the middle of it.

In a quarter-century of Futures Game exhibitions (the event began in 1999), there has never been a Marlin selected as MVP...until now. Congrats to Nuñez on this awesome milestone!

Nuñez took the field wearing custom cleats painted by Adrian Lorenzo, the Marlins senior director of international operations.

Every Larry Doby Award winner has gone on to have a Major League Baseball career with the exception of Brennan Davis (2021), who's still just 23 years old and has ample time to join the club. Nuñez is unlikely to play for the Marlins this year, but expect him to be selected to their 40-man roster in the offseason and enter 2024 in competition for an Opening Day job.

Photo courtesy of MLB

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