Vidal Nuño

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Vidal Nuño is an American left-handed pitcher born on July 26, 1987, in National City, California. He plays for El Águila de Veracruz in the Mexican League and has previously pitched in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, Seattle Mariners, Baltimore Orioles, and Tampa Bay Rays. He made his MLB debut with the Yankees on April 29, 2013. Through the 2018 season, Nuño had an MLB record of 8 wins and 21 losses with a 4.06 ERA and 312 strikeouts.

Nuño’s path to the majors was unconventional. He starred at Sweetwater High School but, due to academic issues, could not secure a Division I scholarship. He instead played at Baker University in Kansas, where he went 15–7 over two seasons and was named the Heart of America Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year in 2008. The Cleveland Indians drafted him in the 48th round in 2009. He started in the lower minors, moved up to Single-A, then spent time in independent baseball before joining the New York Yankees organization in 2011. He progressed through several New York–Penn League, South Atlantic League, High-A, and Double-A teams, earning recognition as a top Yankees minor leaguer and winning the James P. Dawson Award for the best rookie at spring training in 2013.

Nuño reached the majors with the Yankees in 2013, initially appearing as a reliever before recording his first win as a starter. After a mix of relief and starting roles in 2014, he was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in July 2014. He spent 2015–2016 with the Diamondbacks and then the Seattle Mariners, where he shifted to mostly relief pitching. In 2017 he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles, and in 2018 he played for the Tampa Bay Rays, posting strong relief numbers that year. He later spent time in the minor leagues and with other organizations, continuing his professional career in Mexico.

In the Mexican League, Nuño has continued to pitch at a high level. He joined Toros de Tijuana in 2020, continued with the Dodgers’ and other Mexican teams in 2021–2022, and then played for Acereros de Monclova in 2023 and 2024, posting impressive ERAs. In 2025, he signed with El Águila de Veracruz, where he appeared in 25 games, pitching 22 innings with a 2.05 ERA, 21 strikeouts, and 7 saves. Nuño has also represented Mexico internationally, including the 2017 World Baseball Classic, and was selected for the MLB All-Stars in the 2018 Japan All-Star Series.