SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- There aren’t many prospects who can match the skills of Nasim Nuñez on the basepaths. There may be questions about his ability with the bat, but there are none about his speed and base-stealing prowess.

Nuñez showed why that is on Tuesday afternoon at Scottsdale Stadium.

The Marlins' No. 17 prospect swiped three bags in Peoria’s 5-4 loss to the Scorpions to push his Arizona Fall League total to 12 steals. Nuñez racked up three in one night during the regular season just once in 125 games with Double-A Pensacola, where he stole 52 bases to lead Miami’s system.

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Nuñez hasn’t been caught through 16 games in Arizona.

“You know… it's a little easier,” he said of wreaking havoc on the bases in the Fall League. “It’s kind of funny, I was just talking to [Cardinals prospect] Victor [Scott II of Scottsdale], and I was like, ‘Look, man, I'm tired, I'm ready to sit down. So let me steal these bases so I can go sit back on the bench right before we go back out on defense.'”

Nuñez certainly made it look easy against the Scorpions.

After reaching on a fielder’s choice in the second inning, the 23-year-old nabbed second base off Tekoah Roby (STL No. 5) for his first steal of the afternoon, beating the throw by Israel Pineda (WSH No. 21) with a headfirst slide.

Two frames later, after Nuñez grounded an RBI single up the middle to get Peoria on the board, he took off for second, but a pickoff attempt by Angels left-hander Eric Torres appeared to have him beat halfway down the line. It didn’t matter. Nuñez dove into second safely ahead of the throw by first baseman Reggie Crawford (SF No. 8). Two pitches later, Nuñez darted into third with ease for his final stolen base of the day.

The 2019 second-round pick quipped he “could’ve had five” steals after reaching base a third time in the eighth.

“The situation presented itself,” Nuñez said. “I was fortunate enough to get on base today. [Roby and Torres] were pretty slow to the plate, so I just did my thing.”

Getting on base consistently is what has enabled Nuñez to show off his electrifying 70-grade speed through four seasons in the Marlins system. Since 2019, Nuñez’s 183 stolen bases rank second in the Minors, but it’s his career .358 on-base percentage that perhaps better illustrates just how much he’s been able to showcase his wheels.

“I would say it's always important to get on base,” he said. “That's part of the main purpose of the game is scoring runs, so if I get on base, I have a chance to score the runs. But I think the way that I changed my mindset about it and looked at it is, I used to be happy or consider a day great when I would have a hit or an RBI. Now I just want to get on base. And if I get on base a certain number of times, that’s just an equivalent to having hits and RBIs in my book.”

But the Marlins prospect also showed off his glove and arm on Tuesday, making a pair of slick plays at shortstop, including an off-balance throw to third base off a backhanded stab that retired Pineda in the fifth.

Nuñez, who was rated the best defensive shortstop in the 2019 Draft, has also made a name for himself with his Gold Glove-caliber play on the infield.

“I've always had the defensive ability,” he said. “Defense has always been my thing, but toward the end of this season, I learned how to use my ability for me, not just have it. I take pride in it. I love defense, it’s fun.”

This combination of speed and elite defense took Nuñez to new heights in 2023, even after a breakout 2022 campaign in which he accumulated 70 stolen bases and 95 walks. He was named the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game MVP in Seattle this summer, and while his .225/.341/.286 slash line doesn’t jump out, he still managed 87 walks in 585 plate appearances.

He’ll continue to work on his offensive approach in the Fall League -- he’s hitting .250/.364/.297 in 64 at-bats -- but his speed and defense have made him one of the most exciting talents on the premier prospect circuit.

And Nuñez knows how to stick to his strengths.