Milwaukee Brewers: 3 Free Agent Targets at First Base

Renato Nunez

On almost the exact opposite end of the spectrum from Cabrera in almost every way is Renato Nunez. He’s nine years younger than Cabrera and hitting free agency for the first time, likely meaning that he’ll be looking for more security with a longer-term contract. He’s also a power hitter with plenty of swing-and-miss in his game.

Nunez has three seasons with over 200 plate appearances and has had similar levels of success in all three of them. His lowest batting average was .244 while his highest was .258, his on-base percentage was a similar story, and his slugging had the biggest range from .419 to .492. He may be a home run or strikeout guy at the plate, but you know what you’re getting with him as a player. Another thing that’s been consistent across these seasons is an OPS+ over 100 in each of them, including an impressive 121 in 2020.

So now the ugly part, the strikeouts. In 2019, his only real full season as an everyday player, his strikeout rate was in the 34th percentile, which really isn’t too bad for a guy that hit 31 home runs that season. Unfortunately, that dipped considerably in the shortened 2020 season to the 15th percentile. His whiff rate, however, stayed pretty consistent, dropping from 29th percentile to 27th in 2020.

He could use some more discipline at the plate, as his walk rate has been in the 35th and 33rd percentile the past two seasons, leading to a slightly concerning career on-base percentage of .313. His power has been enough to make up for it, however, and if there had been a full 2020 season, he would have likely hit 30 homers for the second year in a row, as he was on track with 12 in the 60-game season.

If David Stearns is looking for a first baseman to be a possible fixture in his lineup for the next few years, Nunez could be the guy for the job. The Milwaukee Brewers have had many short-term answers at first base, and he could be the guy to end that or do it in tandem with Daniel Vogelbach as a platoon duo.