BALTIMORE -- With a camera pointed at Anthony Nunez’s face and a gaggle of reporters surrounding him at his locker inside the Orioles’ clubhouse at Camden Yards on Saturday evening, the 24-year-old had a smile plastered across his face. He almost couldn’t believe where he was.
“I mean, 72 hours ago,” Nunez said, “I thought I was going to be in Norfolk.”
That was initially the plan. Baltimore optioned Nunez to Minor League camp in Spring Training on March 8, and he was supposed to report to the club’s Triple-A affiliate to begin the season.
Then, left-hander Keegan Akin (left groin strain) went on the injured list and Nunez was informed he’d be on the O’s Opening Day roster. He joined the big league team for a workout on Wednesday, ran down the ceremonial Opening Day orange carpet on Thursday, and on Saturday, he made his MLB debut, throwing two scoreless innings in a 4-1 loss to the Twins.
“It’s a dream come true,” said Nunez, Baltimore’s No. 24 prospect per MLB Pipeline. “I’m excited to be able to showcase that to the world.”
Perhaps some people would have been caught off-guard by the unexpectedness of the past few days. But not Nunez, whose entire baseball career has been filled with surprising twists and turns, ones he couldn’t have imagined while growing up in Miami Springs, Fla.
For those unfamiliar with Nunez’s story, it’s a fun one. He was taken by the Padres as an infielder in the 29th round of the 2019 MLB Draft, then struggled in the lower levels of the Minors before getting released in August 2021.
At that point, Nunez went to school, playing three seasons at Division II University of Tampa. He became a two-way player as a junior in 2024 -- at the suggestion of Rangers scout John Wiedenbauer, who first asked Spartans head coach Joe Urso if he had considered Nunez as a pitcher after seeing his electric arm throw a ball across the infield -- and then signed with the Mets as a hurler later that summer.
Because of Nunez’s success in New York’s farm system, he became a top prospect who was then part of the package sent to Baltimore in exchange for outfielder Cedric Mullins at last year’s Trade Deadline. He had a strong spring -- tossing five scoreless innings in five Grapefruit League appearances -- and now, he’s here.
“It’s been a ridiculous journey,” Nunez said. “Everything that’s happened in my career has led to this point. There’s been a lot of sacrifices and a lot of hardships, and it’s just a lot of gratitude that I have in my heart.”
The journey may still only be in the early stages, too.
Nunez’s first big league outing was quite impressive. He retired all six Minnesota batters he faced (including three by strikeout, all swinging) in a 22-pitch, 16-strike performance. He generated six whiffs, his four-seam fastball sat at 96-97 mph and maxed out at 98.3 (per Statcast), and his sweeper, changeup and sinker were all effective.
Meanwhile, the current University of Tampa baseball team was on a bus returning from a doubleheader at Embry-Riddle in Lakeland and watching Nunez’s debut during the ride, as the players “went crazy cheering him on,” Urso said in a text to MLB.com.
“What an amazing debut,” Urso texted. “So proud.”
Orioles manager Craig Albernaz liked both Nunez’s stuff and his aggressiveness in the strike zone during the spring, and he saw more of the same in this showing.
“That was extremely impressive,” Albernaz said. “You’re always just curious to see. You see him in Spring Training, you see how he pitches and you see the stuff, you see the demeanor. Now, to make his debut in the stadium, in the big leagues, he looked the same. The pitchability’s there, he controls his emotions. ... That was impressive to see and watch.”
Multiple Twins hitters showed visible reactions to Nunez’s arsenal, clearly impressed by the nasty offerings coming out of the righty’s hand.
“You always are trusting your stuff wherever you’re at,” Nunez said. “To see guys missing your pitches and you’re attacking them and you’re able to get stuff by them, it’s always a good feeling.”
Besides closer Ryan Helsley, the Orioles don’t have set roles in their bullpen to open the year. Albernaz is using the other seven relievers in various spots, seeing who can settle in well before assigning jobs later in the season.
For now, the unproven Nunez may enter in situations like Saturday, with Baltimore down in the late innings. But don’t be surprised if he pitches his way into a higher-leverage role as the season progresses.
Nunez’s story may only get more entertaining from here.
“Whatever the team needs,” Nunez said of his responsibilities. “I’m ready for whatever the team needs.”