Tag: starlyn nunez

How did Red Sox infield prospect Starlyn Nunez fare in 2025?

Red Sox prospect Starlyn Nunez led the organization in triples this season. This article will examine how the recently-turned 20-year-old infielder fared in 2025 overall.

Nunez spent all of 2025 at Low-A Salem and got his first taste of full-season ball in doing so. The young switch-hitter initially got off to a slow start in the pitcher-friendly Carolina League and struggled to produce consistent results through much of the first half. Heading into the MLB All-Star break in mid-July, he had batted just .238/.298/.363 with 11 doubles, three triples, five home runs, 35 RBIs, 32 runs scored, 13 stolen bases, 17 walks, and 48 strikeouts in his first 70 games (282 plate appearances) of the year.

After starting to show some signs of life before the break, Nunez picked up where he left off once the second half began on July 18. For the better part of the next month, Nunez proved to be a stabilzing force in Salem’s lineup, slashing .326/.371/.584 with eight doubles, three triples, three home runs, 11 RBIs, 15 runs scored, three stolen bases, seven walks, and 23 strikeouts in 24 games (97 plate appearances) through August 17.

As late August turned into September, though, Nunez seemingly ran out of gas and ended the year in a 11-for-65 (.183) rut. He did, however, fittingly triple and drive in one run as part of a 2-for-4 day in Salem’s regular-season finale against Fayetteville on September 7.

Altogether, Nunez slashed .249/.306/.407 (100 wRC+) with 24 doubles, an organizational-leading eight triples, eight home runs, 52 RBIs, 54 runs scored, a team-leading 21 stolen bases, 27 walks, and 91 strikeouts in 110 games (444 plate appearances) as a 19-year-old for Salem this season. That includes a .221/.303/.407 line from the right side of the plate and a .257/.307/.408 line from the left side.

Among 47 qualified hitters in the Carolina League this year, Nunez notably ranked fourth in isolated power (.158), fifth in slugging percentage, seventh in speed score (7.9), 14th in line-drive rate (24.6 percent), 18th in batting average, OPS (.713), and strikeout rate (20.5 percent), 22nd in wOBA (.343), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Nunez saw playing time at every infield position besides first base for Salem this season. The 6-foot, 155-pounder logged a team-leading 583 1/3 innings at shortstop, 168 1/3 innings at third base, and 130 1/3 innings at second base, committing 31 errors in 394 total chances. He also made two starts at DH.

Nunez, who celebrated his 20th birthday earlier this month, originally signed with the Red Sox for $52,500 as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in January 2023. The San Pedro de Macoris native earned Dominican Summer League All-Star honors in his professional debut before a non-injury issue limited him to 35 games in the Florida Complex League last season.

As things stand, Nunez is unranked by Baseball America and MLB Pipeline but is considered the No. 37 and No. 39 prospect in Boston’s farm system by SoxProspects.com and FanGraphs, respectively. If he remains in the organization through the winter and into the spring, Nunez is projected by SoxProspects.com to make the jump to High-A Greenville in 2026.

(Picture of Starlyn Nunez: Gary Streiffer/Flickr)

Young Red Sox prospect Starlyn Nunez ‘has stood out’ at minor-league spring training

The Red Sox have a number of intriguing prospects who are slated to make their stateside debuts this season, including infielder Starlyn Nunez.

Nunez, 18, made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League last year after signing with Boston for $52,500 as an international free agent coming out of San Pedro de Macoris in January. In 49 games for DSL Red Sox Blue, the switch-hitter batted .325/.391/.479 with 12 doubles, three triples, four home runs, 34 RBIs, 32 runs scored, seven stolen bases, 17 walks, and 29 strikeouts over 215 plate appearances.

Though he was sharing an infield with rising Red Sox prospect and fellow international signee Yoeilin Cespedes, Nunez was recognized by Minor League Baseball as a Dominican Summer League Season-End All-Star. Among the 41 players in the DSL who made at least 210 trips to the plate in 2023, Nunez ranked 11th in strikeout rate (13.5 percent), seventh in batting average, 19th in on-base percentage, eighth in slugging percentage, ninth in OPS (.870), 14th in isolated power (.155), 13th in line-drive rate (21.4 percent), and 10th in wRC+ (129), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Nunez split his playing time in the dirt between second and third base. The projectable and athletic 6-foot, 155-pounder logged 210 1/3 innings at the hot corner and 161 innings at the keystone, committing a total of 11 errors (nine of which came at third) in 146 chances. He also served as his side’s designated hitter on four separate occasions.

Nunez, who does not turn 19 until October, is expected to play in the rookie-level Florida Complex League this season. As such, he has been taking part at minor-league camp on the backfields of the Fenway South complex in Fort Myers. Those who have seen him in-person this spring have come away impressed.

This past weekend, for instance, Nunez received plenty of praise from SoxProspects.com. On Saturday, the website’s main Twitter account noted that Nunez “has stood out in camp” and has “fluid movements in the field.” On Sunday, both director of scouting Ian Cundall and executive editor Chris Hatfield tweeted that Nunez will likely enter the site’s top 60 prospect rankings in its next update.

In addition to Nunez and Cespedes, shortstop Franklin Arias and right-hander Gilberto Batista are among the other standouts from last year’s Red Sox Dominican Summer League contingent who are projected to make the jump to the Florida Complex League in 2024.

(Picture of Starlyn Nunez: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox infield prospect Starlyn Nuñez named Dominican Summer League All-Star

Red Sox infield prospect Starlyn Nunez has been named a 2023 Dominican Summer League All-Star, Minor League Baseball announced on Thursday.

Nunez makes up an All-Star infield that includes Rockies prospects Ronny Ugarte (1B), Bairon Ledesman (2B), and Kelvin Hidalgo (SS). The switch-hitting 17-year-old is coming off a debut season in which he batted .325/.391/.479 with 12 doubles, three triples, four home runs, 34 RBIs, 32 runs scored, seven stolen bases, 17 walks, and 29 strikeouts in 49 games (215 plate appearances) for DSL Red Sox Blue.

Among 66 hitters in the Dominican Summer League who made at least 200 trips to the plate in 2023, Nunez ranked 14th in strikeout rate (13.5 percent), 10th in batting average, 30th in on-base percentage, 13th in slugging percentage, 16th in OPS (.870), 22nd in isolated power (.155), 23rd in line-drive rate (21.9 percent), and 16th in wRC+ (129), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Nunez saw the majority of his playing time come at either second or third base this season. In 161 innings at the keystone, the projectable 6-foot, 155-pounder committed just two errors in 75 defensive chances. In 210 innings at the hot corner, he committed nine errors in 71 chances for a far-less favorable .873 fielding percentage.

Nunez, who turns 18 next week, is less than nine full months removed from signing with the Red Sox as an international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic last January. A native of San Pedro de Macoris (the same city Miguel Bleis is from) Nunez received a bonus of $52,500 and is said to have above-average speed.

Other than that lone nugget, Nunez does not have an extensive prospect profile quite yet. That could change soon, though, as he is projected by SoxProspects.com to make the jump to the United States and the rookie-level Florida Complex League in 2024.

(Picture: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)