Nunez was signed out of the Dominican Republic for $350,000. as part of the 2017 international class. The bonus marked him as someone to keep an eye on, but he proceeded to struggle through two summers of poor performance on the complexes in 2018-19 before the 2020 season was wiped out. Thus more than three years into his career he was yet to reach a full season team, was already at the far end of the defensive spectrum at 1B, and without showing significant aptitude.
The power comes from the ability to generate elite exit velocities, reaching as high as 114 MPH, which is on par with the top quartile level of MLB hitters. He was able to unlock tat potential and get the ball off the ball by. Defensively, his best position is at the plate, and limited to first base and perhaps a future DH.
He was an easy addition to the 40-man after the season, seemingly poised on a fast-track to the big league bullpen with a couple promising outings in spring training. But Danner struggled to find the plate in four rocky outings in April for New Hampshire, missing the rest of the season with a sprained UCL though avoiding Tommy John surgery. Unfortunately, after a couple outings this spring, he’s sidelined with forearm inflammation.
The attraction was obvious, as the 6’4”, 200+ pound Carter has the prototypical starter build with physicality and big arm strength. As a high school senior, his fastball was sitting in the low-90s touching up to 94 MPH, and that’s where he sat in 2022 in those Dunedin starts. At just 20, there could be a little more more to come still.