Vidal Vicente Nuño ee-dahl' nooh'-nio(born July 26, 1987) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

for

El Águila de Veracruz El Águila de Veracruz (English: The Eagle of Veracruz) is a professional baseball team that plays in the Mexican League. Based in Veracruz, Veracruz, Veracruz, Mexico, they play their home games at the Estadio Universitario Beto Ávila. Histor ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. He has previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

, and

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. They are one of two major ...

. The

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

selected Nuño in the 48th round of the

2009 Major League Baseball draft The 2009 Major League Baseball draft was held June 9 to June 11 at the MLB Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. The drafting order is as follows: First-round selections Key Supplemental first-round selections From Baseball Americ ...

. He made his MLB debut in 2013 with the Yankees.

Amateur career

Nuño attended Sweetwater High School in

National City, California National City is a city in the South Bay region of southwestern San Diego County, California, United States. The population was 56,173 at the 2020 United States census, down from 58,582 at the 2010 census. National City is the second-oldest c ...

, where he played for the school's baseball team. As a junior, in 2004, Nuño recorded 107

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

s and was named the Mesa League Pitcher of the Year. Due to his poor academic track record, Nuño could not receive a scholarship from a Division I school. Wanting to leave the

San Diego metropolitan area San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of California, north to its border with Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634; it is the second-most populous ...

, he attended

Baker University Baker University is a private university in Baldwin City, Kansas, United States. Founded in 1858, it was the first four-year university in Kansas and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Baker University is made up of four schools. Th ...

Baldwin City, Kansas Baldwin City is a city in Douglas County, Kansas, United States, about south of Lawrence. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 4,826. The city is home to Baker University, the state's oldest four-year university. Histor ...

, where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the

Baker Wildcats The Baker Wildcats are the athletic teams that represent Baker University, located in Baldwin City, Kansas, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing as a founding m ...

in the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for higher education, colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic schola ...

. In two seasons at Baker, Nuño had a 15–7

win–loss record Win–loss may refer to: * Win–loss analytics, analysis of the reasons why a visitor to a website was or wasn't persuaded to engage in a desired action * Win–loss record, also winning percentage * Win–loss record (pitching), the number of ...

. He was named the

Heart of America Athletic Conference The Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC or The Heart) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Member institutions are located in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska in ...

Pitcher of the Year as a junior in 2008.

Professional career

Cleveland Indians

The

selected Nuño in the 48th round of the

, with the 1,445th overall selection. That year, he pitched for the

Mahoning Valley Scrappers The Mahoning Valley Scrappers are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Niles, Ohio, a city in the valley of the Mahoning River, and play their home games at Eastwood Field. From 1999 to 2020, they were ...

of the Low–A

New York–Pennsylvania League New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 19 ...

. He began the season as a

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who pitches in the game after the starting pitcher or another relief pitcher has been removed from the game due to fatigue (medical), fatigue, injury, ineffectiveness, ejection ...

, but was moved into the

starting rotation This is an alphabetical list of selected unofficial and specialized terms, phrases, and other jargon used in baseball, along with their definitions, including illustrative examples for many entries. 0–9 0 :"Oh and ..." See count. 1 ...

. He finished the season with a 2.05

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA). In 2010, Nuño was promoted to the

Lake County Captains The Lake County Captains are a Minor League Baseball team in Eastlake, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, that plays in the Midwest League as the High-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. The Captains joined the Class A Midwest League following ...

of the Single–A

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

. After pitching to a 4.96 ERA in 21 games, the Indians released Nuño on March 26, 2011, and suggested that in order to continue his career, he should develop a

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball, but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced spee ...

Washington Wild Things

Nuño began the 2011 season pitching in independent baseball for the

Washington Wild Things The Washington Wild Things are a professional baseball team based in Washington, Pennsylvania The team competes in the Frontier League (FL) as a member of the Midwest Division and is owned by Stu and Francine Williams. They play their home games ...

of the

Frontier League The Frontier League (FL; French: ''Ligue Frontière'', LF) is a professional baseball league in North America composed of 18 teams – 15 in the United States and 3 in Canada. The FL is one of the eight independent baseball leagues in North Ame ...

, where he worked on his changeup. In six games with the Wild Things, Nuño recorded a 2.83 ERA with 34 strikeouts.

New York Yankees

On June 18, 2011, Nuño signed with the

organization, and was assigned to the

Staten Island Yankees The Staten Island Yankees were a minor league baseball team located in the New York City borough of Staten Island from 1999 to 2020. Nicknamed the "Baby Bombers", the Yankees were the Class A Short Season affiliate of the New York Yankees and pl ...

of the New York–Penn League. He also pitched for the

Charleston RiverDogs The Charleston RiverDogs are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League. They are located in Charleston, South Carolina, and are the Single-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. The RiverDogs' home stadium is Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park. Char ...

of the Single–A

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its h ...

. In 2012, Nuño played for the

Tampa Yankees Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the county seat of Hillsborough C ...

of the High–A

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

and

Trenton Thunder The Trenton Thunder are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Trenton, New Jersey, and play their home games at Trenton Thunder Ballpark. From 1994 to 2020, it was a Minor League Baseball team of the D ...

of the Double–A Eastern League. Across both levels, Nuño pitched to a 10–6 win–loss record with a 2.54 ERA, the best among all Yankees' minor league pitchers, across

innings pitched In baseball, the statistic innings pitched (IP) is the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of Batter (baseball), batters and baserunners that have been put out while the pitcher is on the Baseball field#Pitcher's mou ...

. The Yankees invited Nuño to

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

in 2013. He won the James P. Dawson Award as the best rookie in camp. Assigned to the

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, often abbreviated to SWB RailRiders, are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. They are located in Moosic, Pen ...

of the Triple–A

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

, he was named the league's pitcher of the week for the week ending April 21, after he won both of his starts, allowing one run in innings, with two walks and 14 strikeouts. With

Iván Nova Iván Manuel Nova Guance (born January 12, 1987) is a People of the Dominican Republic, Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox, a ...

on the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 Major League Baseball season, 2019 season, it was known as the disabl ...

, the Yankees promoted Nuño to the major leagues on April 27, 2013. He made his major league debut on April 29, pitching three scoreless innings in relief. On May 13, he made his second appearance, his first major league start, in the second game of a doubleheader against the

. Nuño pitched five scoreless innings and got his first career win. The next day, the Yankees optioned Nuño to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to activate

Curtis Granderson Curtis Granderson Jr. (born March 16, 1981), nicknamed "the Grandyman", is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Los Ange ...

from the

. On May 17, 2013, Nuño was recalled back to the New York Yankees MLB roster, following an injury to

Andy Pettitte Andrew Eugene Pettitte (; born June 15, 1972) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily for the New York Yankees. He also pitched for the Houston Astros. Pettitte won fiv ...

that forced him to the 15-day disabled list. In a relief outing against the

on May 21, he recorded his first major league loss after surrendering a lead-off home run to

Nate McLouth Nathan Richard McLouth (born October 28, 1981) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates, Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals. He was pri ...

in the 10th inning. He was again optioned to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on May 30, 2013. Nuño was placed on the disabled list in June and missed the remainder of the 2013 season. Nuño competed with

Michael Pineda Michael Francisco Pineda Paulino (born January 18, 1989) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins, and Detroit Tigers. Pineda signe ...

, David Phelps, and Adam Warren for the final spot in the Yankees' starting rotation during spring training in 2014. Pineda won the final spot, and Nuño made the Yankees'

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...

roster as a relief pitcher. After pitching in relief in three games, Nuño made his first start of the 2014 season on April 20. Nuño started 14 games for the Yankees, going 2–5 while allowing up 15 home runs in 78 innings.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On July 6, 2014, Nuño was traded to the Diamondbacks for pitcher

Brandon McCarthy Brandon Patrick McCarthy (born July 7, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and front office executive. He is the special assistant to the general manager for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in M ...

. Nuño pitched to a 3.74 ERA as a member of the Diamondbacks' starting rotation, but did not win a game in 14 starts, going 0–7 with the Diamondbacks and finishing the year with a win–loss record of 2–12 and a 4.56 ERA in 28 starts. Nuno began the 2015 season with the

Reno Aces The Reno Aces are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Reno, Nevada, and play their home games at Greater Nevada Field, w ...

of the Triple–A

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

. He was promoted to the majors on May 11 and made one appearance before he was optioned to Reno on May 16.

Seattle Mariners

On June 3, 2015, the Diamondbacks traded Nuño and

Mark Trumbo Mark Daniel Trumbo (born January 16, 1986) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Arizona Diamondbacks, Seattle Mariners, and Ba ...

to the

for catcher

Welington Castillo Welington Andrés Castillo (born April 24, 1987), nicknamed "Beef" after Beef Wellington, is a Dominican former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, ...

, reliever

Dominic Leone Dominic Joseph Leone (born October 26, 1991), nicknamed "Dominator", is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, Toronto Blue Jays, St. Louis Cardi ...

and prospects

Gabby Guerrero Gabriel Guerrero Martinez (born December 11, 1993) is a Dominican former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds. Career Seattle Mariners Guerrero signed with the Seattle Mariners as an ...

and

Jack Reinheimer John Patrick Reinheimer (born July 19, 1992) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Gastonia Ghost Peppers of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona D ...

. Nuño pitched to a 1–4 record with a 5.08 ERA in ten games started, and a 1.91 ERA in 25 appearances as a relief pitcher. When he won a start on September 9, it was his first major league victory since June 27, 2014, and he broke a string of 44 appearances and 20 starts without a win; his 20-start winless streak had been tied for the longest active streak without a win in the major league's with Atlanta's

Shelby Miller Shelby Charles Miller (born October 10, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, Texas Rangers, ...

.Vidal Nuño Stats, Fantasy & News , MLB.com
/ref> In 2016, the Mariners determined that they would use Nuño solely as a relief pitcher. In 56 appearances, including one start, he posted a 3.53 ERA in innings.

Baltimore Orioles

On November 6, 2016, the Mariners traded Nuño to the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

for catcher Carlos Ruiz. Nuño and the Dodgers avoided salary arbitration on January 10, 2017, by agreeing to a one-year, $1.125 million contract. On February 19, 2017, he was traded to the

for minor league pitcher Ryan Moseley. He elected free agency on October 1, 2017.

Tampa Bay Rays

On November 7, 2017, Nuno signed a minor league deal with the

. He began the 2018 season with the

Durham Bulls The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened ...

of the International League, and was promoted to the major leagues in May. Nuno ended the season with an earned run average of 1.64 in 33 innings (17 appearances) out of the bullpen. He threw a slider 67.0% of the time, tops in MLB. Nuño was removed from the 40-man roster on November 2, and sent outright to Durham. He subsequently elected free agency the same day.

Washington Nationals

On January 17, 2019, Nuño signed a minor league contract with the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

that included an invitation to

. In 18 appearances for the Triple-A

Fresno Grizzlies The Fresno Grizzlies are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They are located in Fresno, California, and play their home games at Chukchansi Park, which was opened in 2002 in ...

, he logged a 1–1 record and 7.25 ERA with 25 strikeouts and two saves across innings pitched. Nuño was released by the Nationals organization on May 27.

Tampa Bay Rays (second stint)

On June 3, 2019, the Rays signed Nuño to a minor league deal. In 27 games for the Triple–A

, he recorded a 7.58 ERA with 33 strikeouts across innings of work. Nuño became a free agent following the season on November 4.

Toros de Tijuana

On February 18, 2020, Nuño signed with the

Toros de Tijuana The Toros de Tijuana (English: Tijuana Bulls) are a Mexican baseball team based in Tijuana, Mexico, that competes in the Mexican Baseball League. The team plays its home games at Estadio Chevron. Team history Original Attempt The franchise w ...

of the

. Nuño did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the Mexican League season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Nuño recorded 11 scoreless innings in 2021 for Tijuana.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On June 1, 2021, Nuño signed a minor league contract with the

organization. He pitched in 18 games (seven starts) for the Triple–A

Oklahoma City Dodgers The Oklahoma City Comets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and play their ho ...

, compiling a 6–2 record and a 6.58 ERA with 43 strikeouts over innings.

Toros de Tijuana (second stint)

On February 28, 2022, Nuño signed with the

of the

. Nuño made seven appearances for Tijuana, logging a 1.35 ERA with six strikeouts in innings pitched. On January 23, 2023, Nuño was released by Tijuana.

Acereros de Monclova

On March 8, 2023, Nuño signed with the

Acereros de Monclova The Acereros de Monclova (English: Monclova Steelers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports l ...

of the

. In 28 appearances for Monclova, he posted a stellar 0.86 ERA with 30 strikeouts in innings pitched. Nuño made 42 appearances for Monclova in 2024, recording a 3.06 ERA with 27 strikeouts across innings of relief. He was released by the Acereros on February 12, 2025.

Charros de Jalisco

On April 18, 2025, Nuño signed with the

Charros de Jalisco The Charros de Jalisco () are a professional baseball team who compete in both the Mexican League (LMB) and the Mexican Pacific League (LMP), based in Zapopan, Jalisco, in the Guadalajara metropolitan area. Their home ballpark is Estadio Pana ...

of the

. In 14 appearances for Jalisco, he struggled to a 1–1 record and 6.57 ERA with nine strikeouts across innings pitched. Nuño was released by the Charros on June 8.

El Águila de Veracruz

On June 9, 2025, Nuño signed with

of the

International career

He was selected

Mexico national baseball team The Mexico national baseball team (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Selección de béisbol de México'') is the baseball team that represents Mexico in international tournaments. It is currently the 2nd-ranked baseball team in the world. Current rost ...

at the

2017 World Baseball Classic The 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, composed of 16 competing nations, held from March 6 to 22, 2017. It was the fourth iteration of the World Baseball Classic. The first-round hosts wer ...

. On October 29, 2018, he was selected as a member of the MLB All-Stars in the

2018 MLB Japan All-Star Series The 2018 MLB Japan All-Star Series was the twelfth edition of the MLB Japan All-Star Series, a best-of-six series between an All-Star team from Major League Baseball (MLB) and for the second time in series history, the Japanese national team, Samu ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nuno, Vidal 1987 births Living people Acereros de Monclova players Águilas Cibaeñas players Águilas de Mexicali players Águilas del Zulia players American baseball players of Mexican descent American expatriate baseball players in Mexico American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Arizona Diamondbacks players Arizona League Indians players Baker Wildcats baseball players Baltimore Orioles players Baseball players from San Diego County, California Cañeros de Los Mochis players Charleston RiverDogs players Charlotte Stone Crabs players Charros de Jalisco players Durham Bulls players Fresno Grizzlies players Lake County Captains players Leones del Escogido players Mahoning Valley Scrappers players Major League Baseball pitchers Mexican League baseball pitchers New York Yankees players Norfolk Tides players Oklahoma City Dodgers players Sportspeople from National City, California Reno Aces players Scottsdale Scorpions players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders players Seattle Mariners players Staten Island Yankees players Tacoma Rainiers players Tampa Bay Rays players Tampa Yankees players Tigres de Aragua players Toros de Tijuana players 21st-century American sportsmen Trenton Thunder players Washington Wild Things players 2017 World Baseball Classic players World Baseball Classic players of Mexico