TOLEDO, Ohio — Between Sections 122 and 101 at Fifth Third Field is “Mike Hessman Home Run Alley,” a homage to the man who hit an all-time minor-league record 433 home runs in his 19-year career. The sign sits atop the left-field wall, in front of a brick wall supporting the scoreboard.
Toledo Mud Hens first baseman Renato Nunez, who already played seven games for the Detroit Tigers this season, got one shot closer to Hessman on an 0-2 breaking pitch from Nashville Sounds reliever Bubba Derby with one out in the bottom of the fourth inning in Tuesday’s season opener.
He clobbered the ball over Hessman’s sign — but not far enough to reach Monroe Street — and trotted around the bases.
The Mud Hens won 8-6 on Opening Day behind solo home runs from Nomar Mazara (rehab assignment, left abdominal strain) and Nunez in the fourth inning, and a three-run blast from Christin Stewart in the sixth inning.
“If you play in the big leagues, you want to stay there forever,” Nunez said. “Things happen, and unfortunately it happened to me. But I feel blessed that I can put on the uniform and play baseball right now. Hopefully, I’ll be back soon. Right now, I’ll just focus on playing the game and getting ready.”
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There’s a path where Nunez, 27, evolves into Hessman: A lot of home runs, a lot of strikeouts and a lifetime in Triple-A. Hessman, now 43, played merely 109 career MLB games, hitting .188 with 14 homers, 21 walks and 79 strikeouts. In the minors, he finished 2,094 games with 433 homers, 815 walks and a whopping 2,374 strikeouts.
At the Triple-A level, Hessman’s makeup in the batter’s box was tolerable. In the major leagues, it forced him into five brief stays — the longest being 32 games for the New York Mets in 2010. He retired from his playing career as a Mud Hen in 2015 but is still around as the team’s hitting coach.
There’s also a path where Nunez returns to the major leagues as a mainstay. He went 4-for-27 (.148) with two doubles, two home runs, three RBIs, one walk and eight strikeouts in seven games for the Tigers this year. He was added to the 40-man roster and called up April 11 when Miguel Cabrera went to the 10-day injured list with a left biceps strain.
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Before Cabrera came back, however, Nunez was designated for assignment. The Tigers wanted versatile infielder Zack Short — now back in Toledo, as well — on the 26-man squad for the final stretch of Cabrera’s IL stint. Because Nunez and Cabrera only occupy the first base and designated hitter spots, it’s tough to keep them at the same time.
“The Nunez move was a tough one,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said April 21, the day Detroit dumped him. “He really hadn’t gotten on track; he hadn’t gotten a ton of at-bats. He did help us win a couple games, and he’s a major-league player, but we’ll see where this takes him.
“It puts him in limbo again, similar to how it was (when he got cut) at the end of spring training. If he clears (waivers), we would welcome him back with open arms. He should have an opportunity again at some point as things change, whether it’s how many pitchers we carry, injuries. Anything can happen. It’s tough news to deliver.”
Nunez passed through waivers untouched and accepted his assignment in Toledo. He also struggles defensively at first base, which is something the Tigers want him to improve on. He made an error Tuesday in the first inning.
Yet Nunez’s big-league track record as a power-hitter is real. He has played 300 games across parts of six MLB seasons. He combined for a .247 batting average, 43 home runs and 121 RBIs in 203 games for the Baltimore Orioles in the 2019 and 2020 campaigns. During this span, he drew 61 walks and struck out 207 times.
That’s a lot of home runs, a lot of strikeouts and a manageable batting average.
“You got to be ready,” Nunez said. “Be ready anytime and see what happens for the rest of the season. Right now, I’ll just focus on tomorrow and do better than today. That’s all I focus on.”
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Despite Nunez’s strikeout and defensive issues, the Tigers aren’t much better.
Entering Wednesday, Cabrera is hitting .105 with two home runs, five walks and 21 strikeouts in 16 games. The former two-time American League MVP — and likely future Hall of Famer — has just a .177 on-base percentage and .228 slugging percentage. The 38-year-old stranded seven base runners, bounced into a pair of double plays and went 0-for-5 in the 11-7 loss Tuesday to the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.
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As a team, the Tigers have a league-worst .199 batting average. They’ve lost 16 of their last 18 games and possess an 8-22 record, the worst mark in baseball. And they’ve been shut out six times, with 318 total strikeouts. Detroit scored more than five runs in a single game once since April 14, doing so in Tuesday’s four-run loss.
The offense needs a spark.
And Nunez is trying to slug his way back.
“To be in the bigs, you have to feel like you’re a big-league player,” Nunez said. “That’s how I feel about myself. But yeah, hopefully it’s going to start coming around for the guys (in the majors), too. They want things to go well for them. Hopefully, the team turns it around and we start winning.”
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Evan Petzold is a sports reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold. Read more on the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our Tigers newsletter.