Abraham Orlando Núñez Adames OO-nyez(born March 16, 1976) is a Dominican former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) from 1997 to 2008 for the Pittsburgh Pirates,

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

, Philadelphia Phillies, and

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

. Núñez primarily played third base, but was capable of playing all four

infield Infield is a sports term whose definition depends on the sport in whose context it is used. Baseball In baseball, the diamond, as well as the area immediately beyond it, has both grass and dirt, in contrast to the more distant, usually grass-c ...

positions.

Career

He played 630 games with the Pittsburgh Pirates from -. He joined the

in , and with a mid season injury to third baseman

Scott Rolen Scott Bruce Rolen (born April 4, 1975) is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays and Cincinnati Reds. He was an eight-t ...

, Núñez saw his playing time increase, becoming the everyday starter at third base for the rest of the season and the playoffs. After the 2005 season, he signed with the Philadelphia Phillies as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

. While he was with the Phillies, Nunez was used in roles as a defensive replacement and as a starter when pitcher

Jamie Moyer Jamie Moyer (born November 18, 1962) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Over his 25-year career in Major League Baseball (MLB), Moyer pitched for the Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers, St. Louis Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles, Boston ...

was on the mound. Nunez is known for his sharp fielding skills, and was apparently a better fielder than the Phillies

Greg Dobbs Gregory Stuart Dobbs (born July 2, 1978), is an American former professional baseball infielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies, Florida / Miami Marlins and Washington Nationals. Dobbs ...

and

Wes Helms Wesley Ray Helms (born May 12, 1976) is an American former professional baseball player. During his 13-year playing career, Helms played for the Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers, Florida Marlins, and Philadelphia Phillies. He played primarily ...

who, as a Philly sportswriter said, "fields with oven mitts".

Brewers and Bears

At the end of the 2007 season, Núñez was released by the Phillies. At the start of 2008, he signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers, but was later released, and during May he signed on with the

. The Mets designated him for assignment on June 11 and he became a free agent at the end of the season. On May 11, 2009, Nunez agreed to play for the Newark Bears of the Atlantic League. Later that month, the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...

signed him to a minor league contract.

The Jackals

On March 5, 2010, Nunez signed a contract to play for the

New Jersey Jackals The New Jersey Jackals are an American professional baseball team based in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. The team was founded in 1998 by Floyd Hall and is owned by Al Dorso, a businessman who also owns the Sussex County Miners, ...

of the independent Canadian-American (Can-Am) League.

Coaching Résumé

Nunez began his coaching tenure within the Kansas City Royals organization in 2012 as the hitting coach for the DSL Royals of the Dominican Summer League. Since then he has served in the same capacity for the Rookie Level Burlington Royals (2013), Low-A Lexington Legends (2014), and Advanced-A

Wilmington Blue Rocks The Wilmington Blue Rocks are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Wilmington, Delaware, and play their home games at Daniel S. Frawley Stadium. ...

(2015-19). As of 2022, Nunez is the hitting coach of the Royals' Double-A team, the

Northwest Arkansas Naturals The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springdale, Arkansas. The team is a member of the Texas League, and serves as the Double-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. The Naturals play at Arvest Ballpark, whic ...

. Nunez has also given his time in the off-season to serve as the bench coach for the Dominican Winter League Gigantes del Cibao; there he was part of the National Championship-winning team in 2015.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nunez, Abraham 1976 births Living people Carolina Mudcats players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Leones del Escogido players Lynchburg Hillcats players Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Major League Baseball third basemen Minor league baseball coaches Nashville Sounds players New Jersey Jackals players New Orleans Zephyrs players New York Mets players Newark Bears players Philadelphia Phillies players Pittsburgh Pirates players Reno Aces players St. Catharines Stompers players St. Louis Cardinals players Worcester Tornadoes players