Jon Nunnally: Short Time 2000 NL Champion Mets Reserve Player (2000)

Jonathan Keith Nunnally was born on November 9th 1971 in Pelham, North Carolina. The five foot ten, left hand hitting outfielder attended Miami Dade College getting drated by the Cleveland Indians in the third round of the 1992 draft. In 1994 he was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the Rule 5 Draft.

After spending 1994 in A ball where he hit 22 HRs he got an invitation to Spring Training 1995. He made the Royals club & hit a HR in his first MLB at bat off AL New York club pitcher; Melido Perez. 

Nunnally had a fine rookie year, hitting 14 HRs with 15 doubles 6 triples 42 RBIs & a .357 on base % while batting .247. He came in 8th in the Rookie of the Year voting as well. 

The next year he began the season with the Royals but was sent back down returning in June. He hit for power but also struck out quite often, striking out over 100 times in eight different minor league seasons. He only batted .167 & was sent back to the minors where he hit well until late August. He returned hitting HRs in three of his first seven games, but batted an overall .211.

The following season he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds with Chris Stynes for Scott Service & Hector Carrasco. He played two & half seasons as a reserve outfielder with the Reds hitting .318 in 65 games there in 1997.

He fell to just .207 the next seasons & was traded to the Boston Red Sox for a minor leaguer. He played just ten games with the Sox at the big league level, but had a fine 1999 season at AAA Pawtucket; hitting 23 HRs with 76 RBIs hitting .267. 

In November 1999 he was traded to the New York Mets for Jermaine Allensworth.

Mets Career: Nunnally made his Mets debut on Opening Day 2000, at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. He pinch hit for Dennis Cook in the 7th inning & then singled off Rick Aguilera in the 9th, in the Mets 5-3 loss. He saw playing time as a pinch hitter & outfielder making a few starts in April as well.

On Aril 16th, he hit a HR with two hits & two RBIs, in the Mets 12-9 win at Pittsburgh over the Pirates. The win sparked a nine game Mets win streak. 

The next day he drove in another run, getting a start in a 10-7 win over Milwaukee at Shea Stadium. On Monday April 24th, he drew a 9th inning walk & came around to score the only run of the game, after Matt Franco singled for a 1-0 Mets win. 

The next day, as the Mets completed their nine game win streak, Nunnally walked in the 7th inning with the bases loaded. The walk off Reds pitcher Scott Williamson, brought home Mike Piazza with the games winning run.

On April 25th, he had his moment in the sun, as he came to bat as a pinch hitter in a tie game at Shea Stadium against the Cincinnati Reds. With the bases loaded he drew a walk off Scott Williamson, bringing in what turned out to be the games winning run.

He spent the entire month of May with New York, hitting one more HR. But as the team was getting better & winning, Nunnally fell off to a .189 average. On June 8th, the Mets gave up on him, his contract was purchased by Orix of the Japan Pacific League.

Over the next few years he signed with Kansas City, St. Louis. Milwaukee & Pittsburgh, playing in thier minor leagues but never made it back to the big leagues. 

In his six year career, he batted .246 with 218 hits 42 HRs 47 doubles & 125 RBIs with a .354 on base %. He played 311 games as an outfieler as well.

Retirement: After his playing days he coached for the Cleveland Indians organization in 2006. He was the Indians hitting coach from 2010 to June 2011.

In 2013 Nunnally coached in the Blue Jays organization at AAA Buffalo & in 2014 was the AA New Hampshire Fisher Cats hitting coach.

 From 2015-2020 he has been the hitting coach for the A ball Salem Red Sox.