WBN’s International Player of the Week is Navagantes del Magallanes Third Baseman Renato Núńez in Liga Venezuela de Béisbol Profesional.
Núńez leads LVBP with 17 home runs, 51 RBI, and 106 total bases in 137 at-bats. He has a healthy lead in home runs and RBI with four and 20, respectively. His OPS of 1.188 is second in the LVBP, and he leads with a .768 slugging percentage.
Núńez, 30, is a right-handed hitter and is Venezuelan. He was signed by the Oakland Athletics as an international free agent out of Venezuela in 2010. Núńez made his MLB debut with the Athletics in 2016.
In 2017, he hit his first MLB home run with the A’s and was sent back to the Athletics’ Triple-A affiliate, the Nashville Sounds. In 2018, he was designated for assignment twice and made MLB appearances with the Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles.
In 2019, he had a breakout season with the Orioles and had 31 home runs, 90 RBI, and a slash line of .244/.311/.460 in 541 at-bats. He followed that up with a strong season in the shortened 2020 season with 12 home runs, 31 RBI, and an OPS of .816 in 195 at-bats.
The Orioles released him after the 2020 season, and he signed a MiLB deal with the Detroit Tigers. He had two brief stints with their MLB team but spent most of his 2021 season with the Detriot Tigers’ Triple-A affiliate, the Toledo Mud Hens. He didn’t play in MLB again after the 2021 season and signed with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in the NPB.
His MLB career numbers are 56 home runs and 154 RBIs, and his slash line was .245/.308/.452 in 1,055 career at-bats.
He hit four home runs and drove in 12 runs with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in 2022. He signed with Toros de Tijuana in the Liga Mexicana de Béisbol in January of 2023. He also played for Acereros de Monclova, Lenoes de Yucatán, and Guerreros de Oaxaca from 2023-2024.
This is also his seventh winter playing in LVBP and fourth season with Navegantes del Magallanes.
Núńez’s international career numbers are 62 home runs and 237 RBIs, and his slash line is .267/.343/.493 in 1,116 at-bats.
